Owned
by WildVegeta
Summary: The war is over, and Voldemort has won. Those who were left that defied him in the past were sold as slaves to those who followed him. Draco Malfoy teams up with Ron and Hermione to help their fallen hero, who has been claimed as the Dark Lord's slave. Contains torture and rape. Some Drarry.
1. Chapter 1

Warnings: Torture and rape.

The story has been a bit re-arranged. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Dumbledore start their search for the horcruxes before sixth year. The end of the war happens during 6th year, when Dumbeldore dies; and Harry goes to the forest to meet Voldemort.

I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

It was over.

The war was over, and Harry Potter had lost.

The young man had gone into the forest, and then had never come out. Voldemort neglected to tell anyone what had happened to him, except for telling everyone that he had been defeated, to which most of the Wizarding World had assumed that he was dead.

Only, he wasn't. Voldemort allowed most to believe that, but he told his most trusted followers that Potter was still alive, and very much wishing he wasn't, because he was now Voldemort's personal little pet, and the Dark Lord was doing everything his twisted mind could concoct to break the little ex-hero.

And so the terrible rampage had begun. Voldemort had taken over the Ministry, and had dictated that anyone who hadn't been on his side during the war was no longer considered a human being with rights. In fact, everyone who belonged to the Light was to be captured and sold as a slave to the Death Eaters and other followers of Voldemort's to do as they pleased.

It took nearly six months to gather most of them, although some had thankfully managed to get off the grid. Then, Voldemort himself had summoned a big meeting, to auction the captured slaves, in what used to be Hogwart's mighty Great Hall. Only it was nothing compared to what it once was, the shattered remains of war littered all around. The tables and chairs had been pushed to the sides for the enormous crowd of dark wizards to sit and watch.

Draco Malfoy sat in the front row, next to Severus Snape. Both of Draco's parents were assumed to be dead, which meant the boy was the head of the household, but since he was still 16, still underage, he was living with his godfather at the Malfoy Manor. Draco and Snape did an outstanding job at pretending to be Voldemort's most loyal followers, so the Dark Lord greatly favored them even if sometimes he doubted their intentions.

Truth was, Draco had always been a bit on the grey area. He worshipped his father, which meant that he had wanted to follow in his footsteps since he was a small kid, but his godfather had gotten into his brain, too. Especially over the last half-a-year.

What had finally pushed him away from the Dark Lord was the death of his father; or, more specifically, Voldemort's total disregard for it. And, of course, he couldn't really stomach how Death Eaters treated the wizards they found.

So at that very meeting, staring at the scared, injured and hopeless faces of a bunch of wizards that had once put all their hopes and dreams on a teenager, Draco knew he had to devise a plan. They needed to overthrow Voldemort, free all the slaves and bring the Wizarding World back to the light, before the Dark Lord destroyed it. He glanced at Snape, who was also looking at the slaves, his face impassive, and he tried to mimic him, but it was proving to be increasingly difficult as he found himself recognizing with a twisting gut most of the faces in the crowd.

Two faces stood out the most: Ron Weasly and Hermione Granger.

He growled angrily. How the hell had they gotten caught?! It would only make things more difficult. He knew how a lot of the Death Eaters wanted at them, especially Granger, and he knew how they would be broken in a few days under any of Voldemort's followers.

He sighed angrily.

"I want the weasel and the Granger girl." Draco whispered to Snape. The man turned to him.

"What for? I didn't think you'd actually want to take part on this... abomination." he muttered. He looked a little pale, and Draco knew that it was because most of the scared, beaten down crowd used to be his students.

"I don't." he said. "But at least buying them will spare them from torture under anybody else. You know those two would be the ones to suffer the most."

"Draco..." Snape sighed.

"And it would look extremely suspicious if we didn't buy anyone." Draco added. "The Dark Lord wants to see us being cruel or whatever. Besides, you said yourself that we eventually need to..." he looked around slightly and leaned closer to Snape, his eyes locked on the slaves as McNair and Pettigrew lined them up and hexed them to the amusement of others. "...rescue Potter form his clutches; so maybe if we have more man power that we can actually _trust_ , it will make things easier."

Snape sighed again and nodded slightly.

The auction began and Draco found himself fighting to keep bile down as his own classmates from other houses were bought, like toys, by men and women whom he had seen perform the most horrible of tortures in the past. He swallowed as some of them looked at him pleadingly. He looked away as Crabbe and Goyle and Zabini and the rest of his house mates laughed and bought Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws that had literally sat next to them in class previously. How could they be so impassive to it? His grey eyes turned to the Dark Lord, sitting on his throne, smiling widely as the place flooded with screams, and laughter, and pleading and crying. He swallowed.

Finally, Granger was pushed forward, and Weasly who was clutching her hand for dear life was dragged forward with her.

The crowd went wild, throwing insults and perversions at them, laughing and cheering and spitting. A hex was thrown at Granger but she managed to dodge it with a glare. They both looked haggard, their clothes dirty and torn, their faces muddy and bloodied and hair disheveled. Weasly was favoring his left side.

"Hermione Granger," Pettigrew announced, his shrill voice cutting through the loud screams, "and I guess, as a package deal, Ron Weasly as well!"

"Fifty for the girl!" a Death Eater called first.

Draco took a deep breath.

"Sixty for both!" he announced, trying to ignore how their eyes caught him, first filling with recognition and then with betrayal and anger. He also tried to ignore how the Dark Lord's red eyes turned to him in amusement.

"Eighty for both!" someone else shouted.

"Ninety for the girl!" Bellatrix called.

"A hundred for the boy!"

"Two hundred," a thunderous voice bellowed, belonging to none other than Fenrir Greyback, his yellow and sharp teeth glistening, "for both."

Everyone gasped and then moaned in disappointment. Two hundred was a lot, but Draco had his family fortune for a reason.

"Four hundred," he said, glaring at the werewolf as he recalled how he especially liked to torture people, "for both."

That was that. Greyback rolled his eyes and sat back down, glaring back at the young heir. Voldemort laughed in his throne. It was no secret that Draco and the golden trio hated each other, and it was often assumed that the silver-haired boy had inherited his father's knack for torture and his excellent use of the Cruiciatus curse, so after the initial disappointment, most of the Death Eaters laughed and cheered again. The pair of wizards was hauled away to wait for their new master outside the room, and the auction continued.

It took close to four hours before all the slaves were sold and the meeting was over. The slaves were brought back into the room, most of them shaking and in tears, and the Death Eaters laughed and cheered as they descended from their seats and grabbed their new acquisitions, apparating away and to their homes to have some fun. Draco walked nervously up to Granger and Weasly, Snape at his back. They glared at him, their hands and feet shackled, but said nothing as he grabbed Hermione and Snape grabbed Ron, and they apparated away, to Malfoy Manor.

Upon their arrival, he noticed with distaste that both were pale, and Weasly dry heaved a few times. But their cheeks were sunken and their cheekbones protruded. They looked like they hadn't eaten in days.

"Please try to keep it down, weasel. That carpet is extremely expensive." he drawled. Snape didn't say anything, instead turning away and walking to the Potion's Room he had built in the basement of the enormous mansion, his cape billowing.

Draco stared at him, knowing that he needed some time alone after what they had seen.

"Malfoy," Granger seethed, glaring at him as she placed her hands on Weasly, trying to soothe him, "what the hell do you want from us?"

Draco glared at her.

"You should be thanking me." he said. "I could've let Greyback buy you, saved my self some money, and right about now he'd be probably raping you senseless while your boyfriend watched."

"You watch that fucking mouth, asshole." Ron growled, stepping forward.

Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Or what? Neither of you have wands, and you both have seen better days." he said, mockingly. "You both belong to me now. I _bought_ you."

He regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth. He didn't know why simply staring at them made him want to insult them. It was just a reflex... but if he wanted them to start trusting him, he had to be nicer. None of them answered as fear and hopelessness settled on their features. Draco sighed and grabbed his wand from his back pocket, but it proved to be a terrible decision as they both flinched back, Weasley embracing Granger as if protecting her.

Draco simply muttered an 'alohomora', and their chains fell to the ground.

"Look," he said, "I bought you because any other Death Eater would literally be trying to break you both to pieces and I..." he didn't know what to say. Why had he rescued them anyway? Yeah, sure, the plan and whatever but... Honestly, there wasn't much they could do without their wands and with their new status as slaves. He didn't know the answer. He put his wand away and shrugged. He knew that they still thought Potter was dead, but that didn't seem to be the best moment to tell them that he was alive but probably in a horribly ruined state, physically and mentally. He looked at them up and down and took in their state once more. "Just follow me, knuckleheads." he growled.

They did, more out of fear than anything, and Draco felt a pinch in his stomach at that. If the bravest pair of the bravest house were scared... well, there wasn't much hope left there.

They went up a flight of stairs, and he tried to ignore Weasly's grunts. He probably had a broken leg or something that he hadn't noticed yet. They walked down a long corridor and Draco stopped at the first door, opening it to reveal one of the many deserted rooms at his manor. It was a guest room, so it was fairly clean and well equipped: a double bed, an armoire, a window that gave a beautiful sight of the enormous lawn, and an attached bathroom. He swallowed as he looked around, wondering for the first time in the night if he had made a huge mistake. What would Voldemort say about him treating his slaves like guests?

He turned to them.

"This will be your room. There are clothes in the armoire. They are Slytherin robes but I trust you'll both agree they are much better than the rags you're wearing." he said. "Take a bath, fix yourselves, and come downstairs. The dinning hall is at the left of the stairs, through the mahogany doors. You do know what mahogany is, don't you weasel?" he said, his mouth arching in a snickering smile. When Weasly remained quiet, Draco felt his heart drop. What had happened to their spirit? "You'll ear dinner and I trust Snape will fix your injuries with some potions. Don't take long."

He exited, walking past them, but her voice stopped him.

"Why are you doing this for us?" she asked softly, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. He didn't turn around, still unsure of the answer.

He stood there for a moment, pondering, before walking away, leaving the question unanswered.

An hour and a half later, the pair of wizards walked into the dining hall. Snape was there, sitting next to Draco, as a house elf served them their food. They looked much better, their hair and faces clean. The black and green robes, though, contrasted sharply with them, and Draco found himself snickering at the look. They both glared at him, before Hermione caught sight of the tiny house elf.

"Dobby!" she shouted, running for him. The house elf's ears perked up as he noticed the pair for the first time, his previously dull eyes glistening with emotion as Hermione knelt down and hugged him. "You're okay!"

Draco sneered in disgust. He would never dream of touching a house elf, let alone hugging him. Sure, he didn't mistreat Dobby and the others like his father had done, but he didn't treat them like people. They were elves.

"For Merlin's sake, Granger, you literally just bathed." he said, disgust evident in his voice.

"Why is he here?" Ron demanded. He couldn't run to Dobby due to the state of his leg, which Draco could see now was terribly inflamed, stretching the leg of the grey pants he was wearing.

"The Dark Lord demanded that every free elf had to be returned to their previous owners, with no chance of getting free again. We were Dobby's last owners." Malfoy explained.

"Will you both sit down?" Snape demanded irritatingly, slamming his hand down on the table. "We need to talk and you desperately need that leg cured, Weasly."

They both complied, and Draco knew that Snape was as surprised as him at their behavior. He had expected some fight, at least a glare.

Dobby didn't say anything either, placing plates of food in front of them, which they both attacked ravenously. Both Slytherins watched in disgust, but neither said a word as they understood that the Gryffindors were probably starving half to death. The thought reminded Draco of the matter at hand. He allowed the pair to finish their soup before dropping the bomb, his heart pounding nervously.

"Potter is alive."

Both looked at him, stunned. Their eyes wide, their mouths agape.

"W-what?" Hermione whispered. Draco could see every single emotion run through her face. Joy, relief, confusion, dispair, fear.

"He's alive." Snape repeated. "But he is with the Dark Lord."

"Has been for the past six months." Draco added.

"Is this some sort of joke, Malfoy?" Ron demanded, glaring at him.

"Yes, Weasly, it's a joke. Please laugh now. It's incredibly humorous." Draco spat.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Professor..."

It was odd, Draco thought, to still see Snape as a Professor. After everything that had happened.

"The Dark Lord didn't kill him, he enslaved him." Snape said, his voice stone cold. "None of us have seen him."

"The Dark Lord has told us things about how he... is breaking him." Draco said, his lips twisting into a shadow of a grimace. The pair of Gryffindors looked at each other in despair.

"Why are you telling us this?" Weasel asked, his voice shaking and his eyes watering at the thought.

Draco exchanged a glance with his godfather and stared down at his cooling soup. He wasn't really hungry... hadn't been for the past few days in fact.

"Draco and I aren't Death Eaters." Snape answered for him. "As you may have guessed previously, if your brains weren't already dulled down by spending time in that stupid House of yours, I have always been a double spy. I worked for Dumbledore. I never truly served the Dark Lord."

"Bullshit!" Weasly shouted, his lion heart finally shinning through as he got up. He winced at the state of his leg and a choked groan slipped from his throat, but he kept his ground, his fists tight and his face red and angry. "You killed Dumbledore! The both of you!"

"I killed Dumbledore because he asked me to, you insolent rodent." Snape said, his voice full of poison. "It was the only way I could prove myself to the Dark Lord once and for all. It was his personal sacrifice and I had to carry it on. You hear me?"

Weasly and Granger looked at each other in shock, before the boy glared at Snape even harder, unconvinced.

"Listen, you two." Draco said. "I rescued you because we want to rescue your precious perfect Potter, alright? Now, will you help us or not?"

"Why would we trust you?" Weasly said, growling.

"You have no other choice." Draco answered. "Or, you know what? You do. I won't restrain your bloody mutts inside my house, so leave if you so please. It won't take even a day before someone else finds you and skins you alive."

"If you want to save Potter, we are your only chance." Snape said.

Granger, who had been staring at her hands, quietly, finally spoke up.

"What is your plan?"

* * *

Draco and Snape didn't actually _have_ a plan.

They knew that the golden trio and Dumbledore had been looking for the horrcruxes for a year, and that they needed to end the search to defeat Voldemort once and for all, but it was very difficult without Potter and with Voldemort becoming all-powerful. They also knew that the Dark Lord kept Potter in the Riddle Manor, most likely locked in the dungeons, but it would be near impossible to get to him, alone, and to get him out without Voldemort noticing.

"This is bloody hopeless." Ron said once, a few days after they had started living with Malfoy, to Hermione as they were in their room.

"We can't lose hope, Ron." she said softly. "Harry -"

"Harry's as good as dead, Hermione." Ron growled, plopping down on the bed. "He's been getting tortured by the Dark Lord for six months now, and we can't leave this damn stupid manor or do anything because they won't even give us our wands!"

Hermione heard Ron's voice crack and she sat next to him, rubbing his back as tears slipped down his long nose.

"Ron, we are as good as it gets. At least we're here with Malfoy -"

"How can we even trust him?" Ron said. "He bloody hates us and so does Snape! You know it. Do you really think they want to free Harry?" he said rudely.

"We do." Malfoy said from the door, making them jump. They turned to look at him. "If I hated you, Weasley, do you think I would've given you a bloody guest bedroom with a bed and a restroom, and given you clothes and food? We do have a dungeon here, where it would be much less expensive to keep you."

"We're just a bit stressed out." Hermione said. "We're worried about Harry."

"Well, I have news for you." Draco said. He sounded tired, and quite frankly, a bit scared. "The Dark Lord has summoned me to his manor. And I think... I think it's because he wants me to see Potter."

"What?" they both said, fully turning around on the bed to stare at him with wide eyes, full of hope and dread.

Draco sighed.

"The Dark Lord has never been one hundred percent sure of where my loyalties lie. He knows I purchased the both of you, but I think he's not quite convinced that I did it to torment you. And I think he wants me to... see him... torturing Potter, in order to see how I'll react. So that he can see if I really, honestly, do hate him." he explained, his gut twisting as the pair's eyes filled with despair.

"Why would he even need proof of that?" Weasly said, glaring at him. "Everyone knows that you did."

Malfoy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he leaned on the doorframe.

"Oblivious as always, Weasley." he said. "Besides, even if I did hate Potter, that doesn't necessarily prove that I'm on the Dark Lord's side. But if I were happy... or at least, unperturbed... upon watching him get tortured..."

"So that's the plan?!" Ron shouted, indignant, as he got up from the bed, his recently healed leg making him stumble. "You watch him torture Harry and then go on your merry way?!"

"Well, yes, Weasley. That's the bloody plan for now. I can't rescue him with the Dark Lord watching me; I can't try to save him or ease his pain or whatever. Me getting killed or tortured along with Potter will not help the matter." Draco said, getting annoyed. "Besides, I assume he will let me see where he keeps him. I can look around, try to find some escape route or devise a plan; I can also check on him, see how he is doing and report back to you. It's not perfect but is bloody fucking better than sitting around here all day."

Ron finally gave an exasperated sigh and sat back down.

"Are you sure that's the reason why he's calling you?" Hermione spoke, softly. She had been really passive lately.

"Most likely, yes." he said. "I'll be gone tonight, at 8 p.m."

None of them said anything else and Draco turned to leave. However, as he was rounding the corner of the hall to go to his room, Granger caught up with him.

"Draco, wait!" she called. He stopped and turned to look at her. She nervously bit her lip before talking, quietly and with worry marking her face. "I know there were some... rumors about you and Harry, before all of this happened." Draco arched an eyebrow. "About how you... well, how you were both sort of into each other." she blushed slightly at that. "I know Harry had a crush on Cedric during fourth year, before he ended up getting a crush on Cho, which means that, well, at least on his side it's entirely possible. Right?"

"Granger, you're making no sense." he said, but he didn't turn around to leave.

"I just mean... I don't... It's none of my business if the rumors were true or not. About you and Harry. I don't care. I just think... Maybe You-Know-Who heard the rumors, too. Maybe that's why he wants you there... I mean, I know that he wants to test your allegiance, but..." she was stuttering nervously, and it was very uncharacteristic of the girl he remembered back at school. The one who had punched him in the face when they were thirteen-years-old.

"Granger, I don't hate Potter." he said. "And the rumors were true, for the most part. We did like each other, secretly. I'm not ashamed of it." Funny, considering how it was his deepest darkest secret when he was still in school. But now that everything had been lost, it didn't matter that much. "But that was a long time ago. Right now, my main concern is getting Potter back, so that we can have a slim chance of defeating the Dark Lord. Whatever else happened before is meaningless to me."

"But..."

"Look, we kissed, once. It wasn't a great love story; it was just a teenage stupid crush. That was it. If the Dark Lord wants me to smile and laugh while he tears Potter apart, I will do so, because that's what will keep us alive. Alright? There will be no further mercy from me, other than the hope that one of these days I'll break him free of that hellhole and reunite your bloody golden trio so that we can take that bastard down once and for all. And that's all I want to hear about it." he said. Then he turned on his heel and left, leaving a distraught Hermione staring at his back.

* * *

Draco apparated in front of the enormous Riddle Manor. His own mansion paled in comparison to his master's, obviously.

He sighed nervously. It was never a pleasant experience to be face to face with him. Anxiety twisted his gut.

But also, the possibility of seeing Potter really made him nervous.

He had lied through his teeth to the Granger girl. What he felt for Potter before the war was much more than a crush; although there had only been one kiss throughout it all, it had hurt him deeply to know that Potter had died, and then to learn that his fate had been a much more gruesome one. He didn't know if he was ready to see the aftermath.

Snape had warned him against showing any emotions. He obviously couldn't show pain, fear, despair or disgust at whatever he would soon encounter; but he couldn't seem to eager either because then the Dark Lord would probably encourage him to hurt the golden boy, too, and that would probably break him.

He walked through the door, and Pettigrew was there to greet him, his disgusting rat-like features smiling at him. He could hear screams close by, and he hoped that they weren't what he thought.

"Good to see you, Draco."

"Pettigrew." he said between his teeth. The man took his coat, the disgusting smile plastered on his face.

"The Lord awaits you... in his chambers."

"His chambers?" Draco repeated, somewhat alarmed. Why would the Lord want him in his bedroom? His stomach turned with anxiety, making him nauseous.

"Up the second flight of stairs, the door at the end of the hall. Can't miss it." the man said.

When Draco saw the door, trepidation grabbed a hold of him. It was golden, with a snake carved on it. His heart beat painfully against his ribs as he heard someone whimpering and sobbing. Oh, God. How he wished he was in the dungeons. Torture in a dungeon was expected, even familiar in a way... But he could barely imagine the sort of torture Potter went through if it was held in the Lord's bedroom. He swallowed and braced himself for the worst, trying with all his might to push the stupid memories of his time with Potter at school to the back of his mind. He fingered his wand, which rested under his sleeve, and gave a few steps forward.

The door opened on its own before he knocked.

And there he was.

The room was a mixture of smells. Some sort of wild scent, like a rainy forest, mixed with blood. His stomach twisted even more and he swallowed, his back and head instantly covering with cold sweat.

Voldemort was staring out the window, his arms behind his back.

The piteous sobbing had stopped, but Draco knew where it had come from. The bed in the center of the room was in disarray, and under the black silk covers poked a mop of black, unruly hair, and a bloodied hand, cuffed to the bedpost. The hand was shaking, the fingers twitching. He winced at how broken they looked, at how the manacle was cutting into the pale flesh. The bundle under the covers was shaking slightly. Draco didn't want to see what was below it.

"My sweet, sweet Draco." the Lord spoke, at last, and Draco could swear he saw the covers jumping slightly. "I am so glad you could make it."

"My Lord." Draco spoke. The Dark Lord turned to him, a smile plastered on his face.

"You must be quite confused as to why I summoned you to my chambers, of all places. A bit personal, isn't it?" the man said, going over to the other end of the room, to a table that held Firewhisky. He poured two glasses. "Care for something to drink?"

Draco didn't want anything in his mouth, as his stomach was melting inside of him and his throat was closing up with bile, but he couldn't quite refuse as the man walked up to him and shoved the glass in his hand. Draco looked down at it, suspicious. A chill went down his spine as he suspected that it had Veritaserum. He swallowed and brought it to his lips, the liquid burning them and his nostrils as he tried to smell traces of the potions. Snape had made him quite skilled at it, and he didn't sense anything other than the throat-burning alcohol. He swallowed a sip and coughed.

"Oh, I forget you're still underage." Voldemort laughed, sitting on his bed. The bundle next to him shuddered. "Draco, I have quite a few... tasks for you."

"Yes, my Lord?" Draco said. The man motioned for the boy to sit on a black sofa across from the bed, and the boy did, sitting at the edge, his whole body doused with anxiety.

"First of all, I wish to ask you how things are going with your two newly-acquired slaves." he said. "Weasly and Granger."

Draco saw the mop of hair jumping, and the satin sheets slowly slipped down two reveal to horribly, painfully swollen eyes. Below, he could see the emerald pupils staring at him. He swallowed and looked away, as if he hadn't even noticed.

"They were a struggle at first my Lord, what with the Gryffindor stubborness in them," he said swiftly, relief growing all over him as he realized that he could easily lie, "but they are obedient now. It only took a few sessions with the curse."

Voldemort smiled and stole a sideways glance at the lump, who trembled more fiercely. His green eyes ignited with rage and watered, but he didn't do anything. Draco was horribly, dreadfully surprised. He swallowed another swig of Firewhisky. It did seem to calm his nerves.

"Good, good." the Lord said. "But I am afraid, a few are still missing. Some Gryffindors that I'd very much like to see surrendering to me. And I know no better man for the job than you, young Malfoy."

Draco looked up in surprise.

"Me, my Lord?"

"You are turning into your father, but much less pathetic." the man said, laughing, drinking. Draco used every bit of his will power to shove his anger down. He smiled slightly, hoping it could cover every trace of rage and revenge in his face. "I'm sure you will enjoy such a task. Hunting down Gryffindors and bringing them to me."

"Very much so, my Lord." he said. Oh, bloody hell. That would only make things a thousand times harder.

"Good, good. You will of course have a crew of men by your side to aid with the process." he added. "But first... you understand, dear Draco, that I have some doubts. I hope you don't take it the wrong way."

"Never, my Lord." he said quietly, his stomach opening up and cold sweat once again attacking every inch of his body. This was it.

Voldemort waved his hand as he took another swig of his drinking, finishing it all in one gulp, and the manacle around the bloody and beaten hand disappeared. He turned to the boy, his slave, and buried his hand in his hair before painfully dragging him up. Harry cried out as his body was forced to emerge from under the satin sheets. Malfoy almost passed out right there, the glass dangerously slipping from his sweaty hand. He put in on the wide, flat arm of the sofa and swallowed, feeling his face paling, his whole body shaking, as he took in the devastated body of the boy before him.

His face was a mess. Bruises marred both of his cheeks and eyes, his nose bleeding profusely, as much as his temples and mouth. There were tear tracks cutting through the blood, and Malfoy swallowed at that. He had never, in 6 years, seen Potter cry. But his torso... Merlin. The blankets covered him from under his navel, but what was exposed was a show of torture and agony. He could see bruises of all sizes and colors, one atop the other, speaking of ongoing beatings and tortures. Cuts, and gashes crisscrossing each other, forming giant gouges on his pale skin, that were bleeding and scabbing over and some were festering and looked infected. There were also bite marks, and hickeys on his neck and chest, and one bite mark on his lower lip, which was swollen and bleeding. Worse of all, Malfoy could count each of his ribs; he could tell some were broken... The boy has horribly thin. He had been starved, probably also deprived of water.

He wasn't breathing well, his mouth sucking air in desperate gasps, as if his lungs were about to collapse on him. Green eyes locked on grey ones, and then looked away, humiliation written all over his face.

Draco swallowed and, with every single bit of strength and willpower, smiled, let out a laugh.

"Harry Potter?" he said, mockingly. His voice trembled minutely and he prayed to every fucking goddamn deity that would listen that the Dark Lord wouldn't notice. "Finally got what you deserved, you little bastard."

The Dark Lord smiled, studying his face, as he moved his hand to Harry's face, caressing him. The boy closed his eyes shut, shuddering.

"You really do hate him, don't you Draco?"

"Of course I do, my Lord." Draco said.

"Good." Voldemort answered, before getting up and pulling the covers from over Harry. Another strong wave of nausea attacked Draco and his whole body tensed.

The beedsheet underneath Harry was drenched through with blood. His thin, shaky legs were covered in blood as well, and even though Draco knew exactly what had been going on, even if the fucking manacle attached to the boy's wrist and the fact that he was sharing a goddamn bed with the Dark Lord were telltale signs that spoke volumes, he still found himself almost passing out in dismay at the sight of that blood, running down his legs from his bottom. He had been raped, brutally from the looks of it. He was completely, utterly naked, and the horrible bruises and open wounds and bloody _bite marks_ were there too. On his legs... on his privates... on his arms.

Draco swallowed. Oh, bloody hell.

Hissing sounds flooded the room and Draco realized the Dark Lord was speaking in Parsel Tongue.

Harry shuddered, his eyes screwed shut, and the blonde boy could tell that he hated it. He, however, answered in the same manner, and Voldemort laughed.

"He's saying he can't get up because he can't move his legs." he explained, sadistic pleasure shinning in his eyes. He took his wand out and Harry jumped, his swollen eyes suddenly widening, watering.

"No, please..." he said. His voice was hoarse and cracking. "Please, Master, please." He said. He spoke in Parsel again, most likely begging, as he scrambled on the bed, his limbs slipping on the silk and his legs strangely unresponsive. He finally flung himself over the side of the bed and landed on all fours, crying out. Draco's heart was hurting at the display.

Harry grabbed the bedpost and with a whimpering cry, pulled himself to his feet, swaying. Blood dripped down, landed on the floor, resounded on Draco's ears. The bright red would remained etched in his mind forever. He knew. He swallowed and looked up at Voldemort, grateful that the man's attention wasn't on him because for a moment, his mask had slipped and he could feel his face twisted in fear and confusion. He had never felt so fucking nauseous and he wished the Dark Lord would just let him go! He didn't want to see this. Voldemort laughed and Harry flinched, whimpering pathetically.

The Dark Lord's wand was still pointed at him, and Draco realized for the first time that Harry didn't have his glasses on, so all he saw was a blurry image of his worst nightmare, and that was enough to send him over the edge as he shook violently and hyperventilated.

"You see, Draco," the Dark Lord said, red eyes fixed on the destroyed figure before him. "I performed Legillimens on my little slave. And he told me everything."

Draco flinched, his eyes locking on Harry, who looked at him for a moment and then looked down.

"My Lord..." he started, trying to keep his voice calm.

"You can't blame him, though." The man said, smiling maliciously. "He tried his best. But there's not much resistance after his mind has been broken over and over again. At first it was a hard task; but after I raped him while under the curse, well... his mind loosened. He was in so much pain he couldn't even think, or at least that was at the forefront of his mind when I entered."

Draco felt anger rising in his chest. That sick, fucking bastard! Harry shuddered at the memory, his beaten face reddening in shame. The Dark Lord walked closer to him, sidestepping the bed that separated them, as Harry stepped back, his legs shaking madly.

"You... bastard." he growled. He caught his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth and Voldemort turned his red eyes toward him. His mind acted quickly as he got up and laughed maliciously, trying his hardest to stop his body from shaking. "My Lord, what you saw..."

"I saw the two of you kissing." the man said.

"Yes." Draco said, his smile still on his face. "You more than anyone, I hope, would understand the situation, my Lord. I hate Potter with every fiber of my being, but well, he is a handsome boy, and once I saw that he might have some interest in me, I tried to woo him. It was just physical, as your relationship with him is. I never felt anything but hatred for him, but as you can tell for yourself, he is a good kisser and has an ass that makes you want to bugger him senseless."

Oh, Merlin. Good job, Draco, you just awakened the Dark Lord's sadistic side.

His eyes travelled from the Dark Lord to Potter, and he noticed with a painful pang in his heart that Harry was looking at him as if he believed every single word. His eyes watered and he looked away.

Voldemort laughed cruelly and turned again to Harry, tugging him forward. The boy seemed to have nothing left in him, as the simple action caused him to collapse on his hands and knees.

"I told you, Potter. No one could ever love you. You are a disgrace. And you lost." He pointed his wand down, and Draco had only a second to brace himself for the image before the Dark Lord muttered, " _Crucio._ "

Harry's body twisted around, writhing as he, surprisingly, kept himself from screaming for a good 30 seconds before it became to much and he broke. Draco looked at him with pity, having been the receiver of the curse once before, upon his failure at killing Dumbledore. But he had received it from his aunt Bellatrix, who was much less powerful than Voldemort. He could only imagine... A Cruciatus spell cast by Voldemort would be a thousand times stronger. And with how the wand was trembling, Draco could tell that he was putting a lot of anger and hatred into it, strengthening it. Harry writhed on the floor, his wounds bleeding anew and much more deeply, shrieks of agony escaping him as tears ran down his face.

He felt the urge to stop the madman. It was going on for far too long. Harry lost his voice and could do nothing but arch his back and sob.

He looked up at Voldemort, desperate, but the man was smiling with cruel pleasure.

When Harry's eyelids dropped and his eyes rolled back, Voldemort lifted the curse. A second before the boy passed out. He wouldn't even grant him that.

Harry's eyes rolled back to the front, looking wildly at his surroundings, as if he had lost himself for a second there, which Draco knew he had.

Then, Voldemort pulled him up, making him cry out and dry heave, but apparently there was literally nothing in his system.

"How was that, little pet?" The Dark Lord whispered in his ear, making Potter shudder and let out a sob. The man snaked a hand around his throat and held him close. Draco could tell that if it wasn't for Voldemort's support, Harry wouldn't be able to stand on his own. "Look into Draco's eyes and tell him how much you enjoyed it."

Draco tried to smile maliciously, hoping the fear and pity and horrible sadness weren't showing in his face. He didn't dare to speak, knowing his voice would break.

Harry's green, watering eyes locked on him, pleadingly. Then they closed shut, whimpers escaping his throat as Voldemort's finger found a horrible wound on his side and he sank his nails in it. Harry gasped, shaking.

"Tell him." he whispered.

Harry sobbed and then cried out hoarsely as the fingers ripped at the wound.

"I-I..." his eyes opened, confused. He didn't even remember what he was supposed to say. "Please..." was all he could manage.

Draco's heart shattered even more, if possible. The Golden Boy, the Boy-who-lived, the face of Gryffindor; the bravest, strongest boy Draco had ever met, had been reduced to this... The boy he had loved in the past. He swallowed again, his smile faltering.

The Dark Lord laughed and his hand snaked down, caressing Harry's thigh, and then moving to touch his ass. Harry sobbed, his eyes closing again.

"I think he might be too scared to talk, my Lord." Draco said, smiling, trying to muster the trademark cruel Malfoy smirk. He apparently did a good job, because Voldemort laughed and threw Harry back on the bed, where he curled into a ball and wept.

"Very good, Draco." the Dark Lord said. "Now, please get started on your task. You may go."

Draco nodded, his body extremely tense, as he turned to leave. However, the snake-like voice stopped him again.

"Oh, and do bring your slaves next time, will you? I want them to see how Harry's been doing, living here with me. And I do want to see how much you've managed to break them."

Draco was about to answer, but was interrupted.

Harry coughed some blood before getting up on his elbows.

"No!" he said, his voice hoarse, his body shaking. "Leave them alone." Voldemort's face twisted with rage, and Draco's heart dropped like a stone. Harry's anger and bravery melted from his face in a second and the man turned to him, growling. He stomped to him and grabbed his upper arms. Harry's green eyes widened in fear. "No, no. I'm sorry. Please... Please, I'm sorry."

But Voldemort' wouldn't hear it. He dragged the barely struggling boy across the room. Draco stared in horror as he opened a small chest, and forced the boy inside of it. Harry was screaming, pleading and sobbing as the man pushed him inside, not needing much strength since the poor boy was so weak and hurt. He pushed his legs back, so that his knees were against his chest because otherwise he wouldn't fit, and closed the lid. A lock closed itself, and Harry's screams and pleading could be heard. Some soft pounding, too, but the boy was too weak to try anything.

Voldemort straightened up and smiled, then turned to Draco.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. He'll be locked in there for the entire night, and then tomorrow when I take him out, he'll be a very obedient pet."

Draco smiled and nodded.

"Good night, my Lord." he managed to say, before he practically ran from the room. He ripped his coat from Pettigrew's waiting hands, ran out of the manor, and apparated away.

As soon as he apparated back in his own foyer, he landed on his knees and threw up, strongly.

He looked up in time to see the pair of Gryffindors and his godfather running to him.

Oh, how in the bloody hell was he supposed to explain everything he had seen to them?


	2. Chapter 2

_Draco stared as Harry poured some tea in a cup and handed it to him._

 _They were in the Requirement Room. It had become sort of... their place. Both of them needed their friendship to be a secret. The Slytherins would eat them both alive, the Gryffindors would burn them to the ground, and that would even be a preferable outcome over what Malfoy senior would do to them if word got out. Draco looked at the tea in his cup and smiled slightly. There wasn't really anything dangerous going on... He had a crush on Potter but he didn't think the other boy liked him that way. He didn't even know if he liked blokes; and he was constantly flirting with the Weasley girl. So they were just friends, brought together by the terrible despair of their lives, of how they had been forced into fates that none of them has asked for. The Slytherin Prince, the Golden Boy; the heir of the Malfoy's, the boy-who-lived... all titles that none of them had asked for. And nobody else would ever understand. Everyone saw it as privilege._

 _Only each other understood._

 _They had spent countless afternoons and nights simply talking, letting it out, supporting each other._

 _"Thanks, Potter. You're not totally useless after all." He said after taking a sip._

 _Harry rolled his eyes and sat next to him on the pleasant couch the room had provided to them._

 _"Can't be nice for once, can you?" Harry said with a small smile._

 _"I'm a Slytherin." Draco shrugged._

 _Harry laughed and looked at him. Draco looked into his green eyes and sighed._

 _"What do you think will happen?" he asked suddenly, surprising the black-haired boy._

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"I mean... we're here at school, studying like idiots when there's a bloody war approaching." Draco said. "Do they think we can just ignore it?"_

 _Harry looked down at his cup and shrugged._

 _"The Ministry does." he said. Then he looked at Draco and smiled, that cursed Potter smile that made his legs melt. "Hey, if anything happens, we'll still have each other, right? You defend me, I defend you."_

 _"You seem awfully hopeful." Draco growled._

 _"I have to be." Harry said. "Otherwise I would break."_

* * *

The four of them sat around the dinning table.

Draco swallowed the last nerve-calming potion and looked at them.

"Well?" Ron asked, impatient.

"As if you couldn't see from my reaction, Weasley, Potter is not having the time of his life." he spat.

"Draco..." Hermione said.

"Look... I will spare you the terrible details. It will do you no good to know. But... he is getting tortured, and we need to get to him fast, before the Dark Lord finishes breaking him." he said.

Hermione let out a small moan, tears gathering in her eyes.

"There are two problems, though." he said. "First, he assigned me with finding the rest of your stupid friends. Dumbledore's Army and whichever goodie-two-shoes are left out there. That leaves me in a bit of a bind."

"What are you talking about?" Ron said, his eyes widening hopefully. "This is perfect! The others can help us!"

"Oh, Weasley..." Draco said, annoyed. Seriously, how did Granger even put up with him? "He wants me to find them, and bring them to him, which means he will be keeping tabs on my progress. He will know when I find one and will demand I take them to him. Besides, he will enlist a team to help me with it, which means that even if I got away with finding someone and hiding them in here, most of them would still end up in the hands of Death Eaters."

"Fuck." Weasley said, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"Second, he wants to see the both of you." he said. Both teenagers paled, their eyes wide. "I suppose it's some sort of... new torture he's concocting for Harry. Either have you two watch him get tortured or torturing you in front of him. He said he wants to see how I've treated you, which he expects to be nothing short of horrific. So there's another issue."

"But... are you certain that if you take us to him, he will let us see Harry?" Granger asked.

Draco had been staring down at the table as he held his aching head in his hand, and he looked up in enraged confusion at the question. Wasn't she supposed to be the smart one?

"Uhm... yeah, while he tortures at least one of you senseless." he said rudely.

"Maybe..." she said, "maybe if he sees that you have tortured us horribly, he will leave us alone. Maybe if we appear truly hurt and demoralised, he won't want to hurt us further. I mean, if his plan is to..." she swallowed and her eyes watered with pain, but her expression remained strong, "...torture Harry with the image of us being hurt, maybe that would be enough. Then we would be able to see Harry. We would be able to see where he is and help you with planning how to rescue him."

"Yeah, except, I don't know if you have noticed, I haven't tortured you horribly and you are not truly hurt." Draco added, getting more and more annoyed by the second. He just wanted to throw up some more and take a bath.

" _Species excrusior._ " Both Hermione and Snape said at the same time. The adult glared slightly at her, but Hermione just beamed.

"It's a potion. It makes a person look like they've been tortured. And if someone were to cast a diagnosis spell on them, it'd show that they'd been under the Cruciatus curse. We could use that." she said excitedly. The three men didn't look as chirpy as her, though. "I mean, you have to take us there anyway right?"

"Granger," Draco started, "I really do not recommend for either of you to see Potter right now."

"Well, we don't have a bloody choice, do we?" Ron asked, angry. "We still have to go there and Voldemort has to think that you have been torturing us, right?"

Draco sighed and nodded slowly.

"There is one small warning." Snape said, looking at his former students. "The potion opens wounds, creates bruises; if brewn correctly, it can even break some bones. It does so in the span of a minute, which means the minute after the potion is ingested is full of pain. The aftermath is numbed by the potion itself though, so after the minute there will be no pain or profuse bleeding. Only wounds. You will have to feign distress and pain."

Ron scoffed.

"We've been practicing since we're eleven, thanks." he said.

Draco swallowed.

"It's done then. You'll take the potion when the Dark Lord summons us." he said as he stood up to go to his room.

"Wait." Hermione said. "You haven't told us anything about where he's being kept or if you saw something that might be of use."

Draco looked at Snape, uncertain, and the man nodded.

"Well, don't tell me I didn't warn you." he muttered. "Potter is not being kept in a dungeon, he is being kept in the Dark Lord's private chambers. He is either shackled to his bed or... or locked way in a chest. So when we start creating our plan, we will need a way to enter his room and free him from magically bound manacles or a magically locked chest."

Ron looked so pale Draco thought he would pass out. The red-haired boy stuttered a few times before he spoke, his voice thin.

"W-why is he-he... in his chambers? W-w-why is hh-h-he shackled-" he didn't finish his question before Hermione burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

"It's exactly what you're thinking, Weasley." Draco said. He turned to leave, and Snape stood up and was about to leave as well, before the blonde turned to the pair who were hugging each other and crying, Weasley's face still full of shock. "I'm very sorry. I truly am."

* * *

Draco didn't sleep at all that night, Potter's mangled body and the knowledge that he was being kept inside a too-small chest keeping him awake.

Around 3 in the morning, he started crying.

Living under the shadow of a horrible monster his whole life, losing both his parents, watching Dumbledore get killed, the belief that he had lost Harry once, and living with a stone-cold-hearted man like Snape for half a year had him believing that he was strong, that he had no more tears to shed and that he was emotionless. But he was wrong.

He had never really figured out how he felt about Harry. Sometimes he thought he loved him, sometimes he thought it was just a stupid crush. Some days he woke up thinking that it was simply physical attraction, while other days he just kept thinking that he wanted nothing more that to talk to him for hours on end. However, their relationship had been cut short before he could even know how he felt, just weeks after their first and only kiss, because the war had exploded and Harry had supposedly died but truthfully had fallen in the sadistic hands of his sworn enemy.

But what was certain was that Harry was his friend. His closest friend. Perhaps his only friend. Crabbe and Goyle were convenient; they were there as bodyguards mostly, just so that their parents could remain in his father's good side. Zabini was fun to be around, he was a joker and he was smart and witty; but he wasn't very emotionally deep, so they weren't precisely close friends. And Pansy, well, she was too smitten with Draco to actually be considered a friend. She never liked to talk about feelings, she only wanted to make out or talk about Draco's money and the many things he would inherit.

Harry on the other hand, had his two best friends; and a few others to spare in the form of pathetic Longbotton and the Lunatic; but his two best friends, even if they couldn't really understand his despair, his terribly neglected past and his deepest fears, were always there for him. They listened to him, supported him, talked to him. The closest thing Draco had to that was... well, Harry himself.

And the only person who had ever worried about him, asked him if he was alright, and listened to his deepest feelings, was now suffering inside a chest that kept him torturously curled up for hours on end.

He went downstairs at 6 am, unable to close his eyes for the entire night.

He was surprised to find the pair of Gryffindors there, too. Granger was asleep in Weasleys arms, her eyes swollen and her face wet and blotchy.

"Morning." he muttered.

Weasley looked at him and frowned.

"I need you to tell me." he croaked.

Draco raised an eyebrow and sat at the table. Dobby emerged immediately, his eyes also wet and his hands bandaged, as he put some eggs on the table for the three of them. Hermione remained asleep.

"Dobby, what did you do to your hands now?" Draco asked, exasperated.

"Dobby was eavesdropping, Master Malfoy, so he ironed his hands." he explained, sadly.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake you stupid house elf! Stop hurting yourself!" he said. He didn't like Dobby but the thought of him getting tortured made him queasy, especially that morning.

"The pain of the iron is nothing compared to the pain in Dobby's heart from the news of Harry Potters suffering at the hands of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Dobby said, sniffing.

"Tell me." Ron repeated, his voice more clear. Dobby disappeared with a pop, not wanting to listen anymore.

"Weasley..." he sighed, pushing the plate away. He was not at all hungry.

"Come on, Malfoy." he muttered, angry, obviously trying to keep his emotions in check to avoid waking Hermione.

"Why?" Draco asked. "Why do you want to know? What good could it possibly be? It would just wreck you even more." Draco said. "And I need you sane. Both of you."

Weasley sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Please" he said "I've been imagining all sorts of horrible things. If you tell me I can just..."

"Weasley," Draco interrupted, "I assure you whatever your mind can concoct isn't worse to what the Dark Lord has done. You're better off with your own imagination."

"Malfoy, please." he insisted. "I need to know."

Malfoy sighed and rubbed his forehead, and then his eyes and face, trying to relieve some stress. Truthfully, he didn't even want to say it; didn't want to have to remember it again in full detail.

But he caved, tired and sleep-deprived.

"He's been raped, brutally, probably repeatedly. Probably since the Dark Lord first got him." he started. He didn't wait for Weasley's reaction and didn't even look at him. "He's extremely hurt; bruises, cuts, anything you can imagine. He couldn't use his legs, but I don't know why. Only thing I know is it hurt like a bitch for him to stand up. He has also been under the Cruciatus curse various times because he is absolutely terrified of the Dark Lord's wand. He is broken, mentally. He is traumatized, he won't even fight back. He has been terribly starved, is skin and bones, and is highly dehydrated. Before I left, he was pushed into a small chest and kept there for the rest of the night, or at least that's what the Dark Lord said."

He looked up then. Snape was now at the door, looking at him with an unreadable expression, and Weasley was crying. He wasn't making any noise but his face was scrunched up and tears were running down.

"How..." a sob escaped him, "how could you just leave him there?"

Draco swallowed and glared.

"We've been over this Weasley. What was I supposed to do?"

"You don't even care about Harry!" Ron shouted, and Hermione finally woke up, disoriented, looking at the two boys.

"Yes, I bloody hell do, you ignorant buffoon!" he shouted, getting up. "Those fucking rumors you heard about us, you can bloody hell ignore them all you want but they were true! It was a fucking secret but Potter and I had gotten close! So I also lost a bloody fucking friend and maybe even the guy I loved! So stop saying I don't care because this is as hard for me as it is for you two!"

He slammed his fist on the table and left, sidestepping a wide-eyed Snape, and went to his room, shutting the door.

* * *

Three more days passed before the Dark Lord contacted them again.

Ron and Hermione barely left their room, so they didn't run into each other again. Draco had no way of knowing how the ginger had taken the news.

He put on his black robes. Voldemort had called for a Death Eater meeting, in his manor, and neither of them could refuse. Draco was thankful that he hadn't demanded that he take his slaves there. He didn't know if he could keep the others at bay.

Snape and Draco arrived at the manor, walked through the door, and entered the enormous dinning room, where the meetings were held. They took their seats at the table, quietly.

After a few minutes, Voldemort appeared on his seat at the end of the table.

Draco noticed that only a few Death Eaters were present. Fenrir Greyback, Bellatrix, McNair, Dolohov and the Carrow brothers.

"Welcome, my faithful friends." Voldemort said, clasping his hands together. "This will be but a brief meeting. As you all know, a lot of Harry Potter's friends are still on the lose. I need you to retrieve them for me. Especially the members of the Order." he waved his wand as a few images appeared in the air, faces of people who were once again familiar to Draco. "Most importantly, Ginevra Weasley, Arthur Weasley and wife, Remus Lupin," Fenrir gave an excited growl, "Neville Longbottom," this time it was Bellatrix's turn to laugh, "Luna Lovegood, Alastor Moody and Cho Chang. This are the only names that I have of those traitors who are definitely alive. Find them all and bring them to me. And whoever else you might find."

He turned to look at Draco and smiled, making the boy's stomach roll.

"Our dear Draco will be leading this hunt." he said.

"The baby Malfoy?" Fenrir growled, disgusted. "He couldn't even turn Potter in while he was still at school with the boy."

"Please, Fenrir, I'd appreciate it if you didn't question my commands." Voldemort said, the threat evident in his voice. The werewolf quieted down, glaring at Draco.

"I will not disappoint you, my Lord." he said, his stomach twisting nervously.

"Very well. Now, I have a gift for those of you who wish to enjoy it." He smiled cruelly and Draco felt bile once again threatening to rise.

After a small wave of his wand, Potter's body appeared out of thin air, his hands bound behind him and his legs tied together. A gag was between his teeth. Every hope Draco had of Voldemort granting Harry some time to recover from his wounds before hurting him again shattered to pieces. He was even worse than before, his left eye so swollen it looked like the whole purple lump would fall off. Blood covered him entirely, and his body shook in pain... but his eyes, Draco could see as hope swelled slightly inside of him, were glaring; full of hatred. Full of that Gryffindor pride and bravery. He took a deep breath as the boy tried to free himself from the restraints, insults being choked back by the gag. He was fighting back!

The hope died as soon as it was born, though. Draco realized that Harry had been submissive the first time he had seen him because he had just been tortured, and he wasn't truly broken, but Voldemort was intent on changing that.

"Just this morning, my little pet insulted me. He told me that he would beat me and kill me, and that the Light would reign once more." he laughed along with his followers. Draco laughed as well, but his heart was aching.

How did he still have hope?!

"You gotta break him, my Lord!" Bellatrix laughed, a mad glint in his eyes. Harry eyed her with hatred but couldn't keep the fear from his eyes.

"I'll leave him to you, to do as you please. Only ground rules are, don't kill him, don't drive him to insanity, and don't mount him. He is still only mine." Voldemort said. "I have some matters to attend."

Draco paled, and could see Snape's eyebrow twitching, as Voldemort grabbed him by his hair and flung him down, his face crashing against the table with a sickening crack and the boy's wail.

Bellatrix didn't even wait before she screamed.

" _CRUCIO!_ "

Harry shrieked, his body weakened, and writhed around, falling off the table as the witch walked closer to him, her hand pointed and trembling. Draco swallowed, knowing how that felt. Snape took a deep breath and, before Voldemort could leave, he walked over to him, leaning down to whisper in his ear as the Carrow brothers sent burning spells at the boy and his screams went an octave higher. Draco got up and walked closer to him, forcing a smile onto his face, but almost crumbling to pieces as he saw Harry's distressed face, as he saw the brave boy breaking, again.

"My Lord, Draco and I have found traces of magic in a nearby, deserted muggle town. We think they might be hiding there. We should go and check immediately." Snape said.

Voldemort didn't say anything at first, the only sounds in the room being the Death Eater's mad cackles and Harry's screams.

"Oh, well, if you must." the Dark Lord finally said, his eyes fixed on his pet, who was now writhing in terrible agony as Greyback bit into his leg, blood poring down. The rest were cheering him on. Greyback wasn't in his wolf form, so the only damage on the boy would be the horrible wound and eventual scar. "But... wouldn't you like some fun first? Draco, I know you are very skilled in the Cruciatus curse."

The crack of a bone jarred Draco from head to toe and he had to swallow very hard not to vomit as Harry shrieked madly and his leg sat at a terrible angle, still in Greyback's mouth.

"That was my father, sir. I'm not very good at it." he said, his voice shaking. Oh, God, the Dark Lord was going to discover him.

"But you are, aren't you, Severus?" Voldemort insisted. Snape nodded.

Greyback released Potter's leg and the boy sobbed and hiccuped into his gag, his one good eye clenched shut. Snape drew his wand, pointed it at the boy, and hexed him.

Harry writhed, crying, and Draco knew that Snape wasn't using even a quarter of his strength, but the boy was in pain and that was everything the Lord wanted.

Five minutes later, the curse was lifted and Snape and Draco left.

The Gryffindor trio found them in the foyer, Draco desperately clinging to Snape's robes as he cried.

Hermione and Ron joined him.


	3. Chapter 3

Draco calmed down after a few minutes. He sat in a big, comfy armchair that his father had favored, drinking some tea as Snape disappeared into his Potions' Room and Hermione and Ron sat next to him.

"We need a plan." he said. He hadn't told them anything, and Ron had apparently learnt the lesson. He didn't ask for details this time. "Weasley, the Dark Lord knows for sure that at least your parents and sister are alive, so that's that. And Lupin, too."

Ron's eyes widened, hope finally filling his eyes for the first time in so long. He hesitated though, his expression faltering a little.

"Wait, they're not..."

"No, they haven't been caught. Yet." he said, sipping the tea. "I figured we could get to them first, bring them here safely and then... well, eventually I will need to take someone to the Dark Lord."

"Who else did he mention?" Hermione asked, grabbing Ron's hand as he beamed with joy.

"Longbottom, Luna Lovegood... Cho Chang... uhm... I don't remember the rest." he said. "The ones that weren't in the slave auction are probably still alive."

They remained silent for a while, remembering the terrified faces.

"Draco... has he said anything about... muggles?" Hermione asked.

Draco looked at her. He had almost forgotten that she was a mudblood. He looked back at the cup of tea and tried to gain comfort from the warmth and the sweet smell.

"Not yet." he said. "He needs to make sure he has whole control over the Magical World before moving to the muggles."

There was a short silence. Then, Ron spoke.

"Mate... you gotta tell me what that was, with Harry. What you two had." he said. "I had no idea and I don't know why... he wouldn't even tell us."

"I asked him not to." Draco said. "It would have been extremely dangerous. And it was nothing. I... we met, sometimes, just to talk. He was sad and so was I, and we clicked. He found me crying like a loser in a bathroom and tried to comfort me, and at first I pushed him away but then I found him moping in the Astronomy Tower and I wanted so badly to mock him but... I didn't. I sat down and we talked."

 _Draco stared at Harry's face. He looked despaired, utterly sad and broken. He was sitting on the ledge of the window, hugging his legs to his chest. Draco sat next to him._

 _"What's the matter, Potter?" he asked. The name sounded weird without the undertone of mockery and superiority._

 _"You tell me first." he said, a small smile breaking through. "Why were you crying in the bathroom a few nights ago?"_

 _Draco sighed. "If you really must know, and mind you I don't appreciate your bloody nose burying in my damn business, I was stressed out because... well, sometimes my father expects too much of me. And that drives me mad."_

 _Harry swallowed and looked at Draco, aching to ask him something. Draco raised an eyebrow._

 _"Does it have to do with Voldemort?"_

 _"Merlin, Potter! Don't say the bloody name, will you!" Malfoy snapped, looking around. "It's none of your business anyway."_

 _"Fine. I understand." Harry said. "Being dragged into this life that you never asked for. Things and hopes and other's peoples lives depending on you when you only want to be a teenager for one in your damn life." he sounded so bitter, but his words were exactly what Draco felt._

 _Draco looked at the boy up and down and sighed. He hated Potter, or so he thought, but the boy was truly a sight. Draco had always thought he was gorgeous. Too bad he was a damn Gryffindor._

 _"Is that what's weighing you down?"_

 _Harry chuckled sadly and nodded._

 _"I didn't ask to survive Vold- his curse. I don't want to be the Boy-who-lived. I don't even know how... I mean, that man is terrifying." Harry said. "I don't ever want to see him again."_

"We talked for hours that night." Draco said. "And then began meeting up, just to talk. And my feelings for him just kept growing."

"Did you ever tell him that you were a Death Eater?" Hermione asked.

"No." Draco scoffed. "But he knew my father was one, so I suppose he assumed. I never talked to him about the Dark Lord, and he didn't either."

"I did't know you were into blokes." Ron said, receiving a jab in the ribs by Hermione. Draco glared at him.

"Yes, I am. So was Harry. We kissed once." he said. "I told him I liked him, he told me liked me, too. It was nothing. Like I said, no epic romance, no secret affair, no love confessions and broken hearts. Just two blokes who hung around, kissed once, and then went to fight a war."

"What do you think would have happened if... if the war hadn't... you know." Hermione said, the memories still fresh and painful.

"Gee, Granger, I don't know. We probably would have gotten together only to be torn apart anyway, more painfully, because the war was a fucking reality, no matter when it happened or how." he spat.

Hermione glared at him but didn't say anything else.

Draco drank the rest of his tea and they hung around for a while, none too eager to be alone.

Draco dozed off on the armchair, and when he woke up, the pair was gone.

* * *

A whole week went by before Voldemort summoned Draco again.

This time he ordered Draco to bring Hermione and Ron along.

They stood in the foyer, terrified. Draco watched as Snape handed them the vials and they nervously drank it. The next minute was a nightmare. Both of them groaned and tried to choke their screams back as their skin ripped open and turned blue and green and yellow. A few bones snapped before getting healed again, giving the impression that they had healed incorrectly due to lack of attention. They both were screaming when the minute was over, and then the pain was gone. They panted and paled as they stared at each other, beaten down and looking completely destroyed. Blood dripped on the carpet and Draco rolled his eyes, but said nothing. The Slytherin robes they wore became dirty and ripped, and Draco thought that it was an advantage. In the eyes of the Lord, it would look like Draco was humiliating them by forcing them to wear the enemy's attire.

"Incarcerous." he muttered, and ropes bound their hands and legs. "Now, you two have to play the part."

They apparated away.

Seeing the manor for the third time after seeing Harry really nearly broke Draco down. He swallowed the bile and thought absentmindedly about how much weight he was losing due to this crap.

"Alright." he muttered. "Listen you two. What you are about to see will be horrible. But no matter what you do, don't jeopardize this. You can't help him."

The three entered the horrible place.

Pettigrew was there, as usual, receiving Draco's coat. He smiled nastily at the state of his slaves, and they were truly playing the part like pros. Draco walked and they followed, dragging their feet and limping and coughing occasionally.

They went up the stairs and Draco stared at the golden door with trepidation. He couldn't hear any screams or sobs and hoped that it didn't meant Potter was in the horrible chest. Maybe he was sleeping... maybe the Dark Lord had allowed someone to heal him a bit.

He approached the door but it didn't open, so he pushed it slightly and peered inside, keeping Ron and Hermione blind to the inside for the moment.

The image was nothing short of horrific.

Harry was kneeling on the floor, on the side of the bed, his upper body slumped on the bedspread, his hands chained to the bedposts on the top and the foot of it, stretched out. He wasn't screaming because he wasn't even aware of what was happening. His head was turned towards the door, his eyes open but unseeing, tears running across his face to pool on the cover. Voldemort was behind him, brandishing a whip, covered in blood. Harry's back was so torn, he had been whipped so badly, that blood was all that was visible on him. He wasn't truly conscious, but not unconscious either.

Draco pulled his head back and took a deep breath.

"Brace yourselves." he muttered.

Half a minute passed before he knocked.

"Come in." came the terrible voice.

Draco pulled his face into a cruel smile before pushing the door open.

Potter was on the floor now, the shackles gone. Voldemort was placing the whip inside a drawer, seeming content.

Ron and Hermione stared at Harry's fallen body and Draco could hear their gasps, could almost feel the pain they were going through. And they hadn't even seen anything.

The Dark Lord smiled at them and the two Gryffindors shuddered.

"Well, you filthy worms? Kneel!" Draco demanded as the stretching silence made him nervous. They obeyed, to his great relief. He thought the sight of Harry would have given them some sort of rebellious spirit.

"Oh, this is wonderful." Voldemort said. He walked over to Harry and with his wand, elevated him onto the bed. Then, he muttered, ' _Ennervate'_.

Harry gasped, awakening. His entire body was shaking, but he remained staring at the ceiling, his back drenching the sheets, so he didn't notice his friends straight away.

"Sit up, Harry." Voldemort said, his tone gentle and soft, and it only made Harry shudder. The Dark Lord grabbed his hair and pulled him into a sitting position, earning a groan from the boy. Hermione and Ron gasped again, and Draco nearly did, too.

He didn't look better than the last time he had seen him, except his swollen eye had reduced a little. It was still black, but at least he could open it a bit. And his leg, although still sporting the horrible, still bleeding, gash of Fenrir's bite, didn't seem broken. But the rest of the wounds were there, and topping them were the burn marks left behind by the Carrow brothers; all of them shapeless except for the C burnt around his navel. Draco gained his composure fast, because he knew what he was in for, but his slaves didn't. They stared at Harry in horrified shock, tears running down Hermione's face, mixing with the blood on it.

Harry looked mortified. He stared at them and Draco could see utter humiliation; he could see shame and fear... and then anger. He knew Potter was going to lash out. He knew that his friends were his weakspot; he himself had exploited it back in school many times. Trying to save him even further terrible torment, he spoke before Harry had the chance to do it.

"You fixed his leg." he said. Harry looked at him, eyes watering, anger in those green orbs, and Draco had to look away.

"Well, I didn't want him to be impaired from standing up." Voldemort said, chuckling. "Or kneeling for that matter. Isn't that right, pet?" He sat next to Harry on the bed and caressed his face, and Harry flinched and looked away, his shaking intensified by anger. "Well, Harry, you should be thanking me. I brought you this gift. Your friends are still alive."

"You..." Harry muttered, tears finally slipping. "What did you do to them?"

Draco swallowed. Oh, if he only knew.

"Tortured them Potter, what else?" Draco said. "Even _you_ can't be that blind."

The tension in the room was palpable. Voldemort was always unpredictable, and Draco knew that he ached to torture someone. Either way, whichever he decided to torture, it would be torture for the other two as well. Draco didn't know what was better. Harry didn't look like he could take much more, but torturing his friends would also probably send him over the edge. Voldemort assessed the situation before leaning over to whisper in Harry's ear, in Parsel, and Harry's whole body shuddered, his eyes closing shut, his teeth clenching, before he answered in Parsel as well. He hated it with every inch of his being. He flinched when Voldemort laughed.

"Well, obviously." he said. He then turned to the other three. "I just asked my dear little pet if he would rather watch me torture you, or if he'd rather be tortured by us. Guess which one our little martyr chose."

The 'us' struck Draco like a wall of bricks.

"No!" Hermione finally shouted. "Leave him alone! Haven't you done enough to him?"

Draco closed his eyes and kicked her in the arm. It wasn't hard, wouldn't really hurt her, but Hermione still acted like it did. At least she was still in character.

"Shut it, whore." Draco said. "Proceed as you may please, my Lord."

Voldemort laughed again and pulled Harry from the bed. The boy fell on his hands and knees and his friends had to look away. His body was so injured... How was he even alive anymore?

More so, the blood on his legs... It was awful. It was fresh.

Draco wondered if it was normal that he still bled six months into being raped brutally by that disgusting pervert.

"I can give you the honor, Draco. Cast a Cruciatus curse on him. You said you weren't too good at it, perhaps we can practice on my pet."

Harry whimpered slightly and shook even more, but this time he didn't beg. Probably because his friends were there.

"I'd much rather watch, my Lord." Draco said, trying to sound cruel and like he was experiencing the best moment of his life.

He wondered briefly, if he hadn't befriended Potter, would this scene be any pleasurable to him? If he still hated the Golden Trio?

"Well, then I'll start." Voldemort said. " _Crucio._ "

As expected, Harry began screaming, his voice hoarse and crackling. His body writhed and the injuries on his back formed a pool of blood below him.

"NO!" Hermione and Ron shouted. Ron got to his feet, but Draco grabbed his arm, glared at him and shook his head.

"Stand down, slave." he said, his teeth clenched.

"You're killing him!" Hermione cried, but she remained on her knees. Voldemort laughed, his wand still trained on Harry's writhing form. "Please, just stop!"

He did. Harry panted, sobbing, his throat completely torn. But, to everyone's immense surprise, he turned his head a little and looked at his friends, his swollen green eyes filled with pain but also that damned Gryffindor bravery and compassion. He smiled a little, and Voldemort raised an eyebrow as it had been the first smile he had seen on the boy in six months. Draco swallowed, his heart aching. That smile had once melted his kneecaps but it was know mixed with pain and longing.

"Hey, don't cry." he said, his voice raspy and quivering. "I'm fine."

Sharp contrast to the first time Draco had seen him in the room. His friends really did give him strength.

"For Merlin's sake, Harry..." Ron said, his voice shaking, tears running down his face. "No, you're not."

"Shut it." Draco said, glaring at him, hoping that they would both calm down. Couldn't they see that their desperation only spurred Voldemort even more?

"Oh, no, Draco. Let them cry. Let their hopes shatter. _Crucio._ "

Harry tried with all his might to not scream, to not show his pain in front of his friends. But after a minute, he couldn't, tears rolling down as his mangled body writhed, blood and sweat pouring out of him. Draco looked down at the other two Gryffindors, scared out of his mind. If they began fighting back or trying to save Potter, not only would Volemort realize that they weren't precisely injured or broken; they would also be tortured and probably killed by the madman and well, Draco would be, too. He swallowed hard and prayed in his head that they would understand.

"Just stop it you fucking bastard!" Ron screamed, and Draco knew they were doomed.

With every bit of anger he could muster from the horrible display and the fact that Weasley was the worst possible person ever at handling emotions, Draco whirled around and punched him square in the face, hard, wincing almost imperceptibly as his long nose crunched and began bleeding. Goddamit, and his had did, too.

"Show some respect, you low-class rat." he growled. "Apologize to the Dark Lord right now."

Ron had fallen to his knees, holding his nose with his hand as it bled through his fingers.

Harry's screams had ceased as the cruse was lifted, but he still sobbed desperately.

He had no energy to talk anymore, but as Draco turned to look at him, he realized that his eyes were focused on his friends, the green orbs terrified and pleading. He was mouthing something but his voice wouldn't come to him. He couldn't suck in enough air, couldn't gain enough bearings to at least plead. His writhing had rolled him onto his stomach, and his arms were outstreched, as if trying to reach them. Trying to protect them.

"There's no need for an apology." The Dark Lord said. "This is punishment enough for your little slaves. But how about you join me, Draco?"

Draco took a deep breath and stepped forward, knowing that if he kept on refusing the Dark Lord's requests, they would all be in danger. He smiled cruelly and pointed his wand at the boy. Harry's eyes didn't look away from his friends, tears still coursing down.

"Malfoy, don't do it." Weasley said, through the pain of his newly broken nose.

His wand shook minutely and he really hoped for a second that Potter would look at him. Maybe if they crossed eyes the other boy would know, he would understand, that all Draco wanted was to save him from that hell.

" _Crucio_."

Voldemort laughed softly as Harry writhed, but didn't scream. Draco's curse was weak, but he had already told his master that he was bad at the curse, anyway, so Voldemort didn't question it.

He lifted the curse.

Harrry coughed blood when it was done, his entire body shaking.

"What about your own slaves?" Voldemort asked. "You're not very good at the curse, Draco, so I don't assume they are too used to it. Not like my dear Harry here."

Draco swallowed hard and looked back at the pair, who were looking wide eyed at the Dark Lord.

"B-but Snape is." He blurted out. "He tortures them all the time."

"No..." Harry muttered. "L-leave them..." his sentence ended in a coughing fit.

"Harry, we've talked about this." Voldemort said, his tone disgustingly sweet. "You don't speak unless I allow you to."

"P-please..." he whispered. His eyes looked around the room, disoriented. Draco felt a pang in his stomach and chest. He was losing his mind. It was clear as day.

Hermione's sobs filled the space as Harry finally, blessedly, passed out; but the terrible shaking of his body remained.

There was a terrible tense silence, and then the three boys watched in despair as Voldemort elevated Harry to the air, onto the bed, and the cuff magically reattached itself to his mangled wrist. But at least the boy was resting, if only for a while.

The Dark Lord stared at his pet for a moment before turning to Draco.

"Then, allow me to do it." Voldemort said, pointing his wand at the pair. "You have been very insolent tonight, Weasley, and I honestly believe that Draco hasn't been as harsh with you as he should have. And you, Granger, my dear Bellatrix told me how much she enjoyed it when she did it to you. If I may, Draco? They belong to you after all."

Draco's stomach twisted and churned and he could tell that he was paling, sweat rolling down his back. He took a deep breath and hoped that they understood that they had to go through it if they had any hope of leaving that place alive. He looked down at them, but their eyes were locked on Voldemort's wand, both of them shaking in fear.

"Of course, my Lord."

But then Harry was coughing, again, waking up. His hand rattled the shackle and whimpers escaped him.

"V-Voldemort d-d-don't..." he coughed again, gasping for oxygen in a way that sounded like his lungs had given up on him entirely. "L-leave them."

"Oh, Harry. You will pay dearly for speaking out tonight. I will rip you apart." Voldemort said, making Harry shudder, but his eyes never left Hermione and Ron. "But first... _Crucio_."

The curse hit Ron, who fell face-first on the floor, writhing and screaming. Hermione screamed as well, but Draco grabbed her arm and pulled her back, trying to avoid an even bigger mess. Harry began screaming, too, his voice raw but filled with desperation. He pulled at his restrains as he tried to plead with Voldemort to leave him be. Draco knew that the image of the Golden Trio screaming in pain and despair, the three of them crying, would forever be imprinted into his brain. Tears climbed to his eyes but the pushed them back as he forced a laugh, to join his master. To keep up the stupid facade that had already probably disintegrated his stomach by that point.

And then, out of nowhere, it happened.

Magic blew out of Harry; a heat wave that destroyed the shackle keeping him tethered to the bed; which in turn collapsed, the bedposts breaking and splintering. The lamp next to the bed shattered to pieces that flew around, and both Draco and Voldemort stumbled as hot air hit them with fierce strength. The curse was lifted and Ron coughed weakly before looking up, at Harry, who through all the pain and trauma was doing wandless magic; and a very powerful one at that.

But it didn't last. The simple explosion drained him, and the hot waves of air returned to his body.

He spoke in Parsel then, his face contorted with fury, and Draco wished he could understand because Voldemort looked stunned.

Hope swelled in his chest. Maybe Potter could do it. Maybe he was such a powerful wizard that wandless magic was enough for him to defeat Voldemort.

But he was wrong.

Harry released a few more hisses before passing out again, covered in sweat and pale.

"Draco... You may go. I need to analyze this new... ability that my pet seems to have." Voldemort said.

Draco nodded, grabbed Hermione and Ron, and dragged them out as fast as he could before apparating away.

* * *

Draco rubbed his face as Weasley shouted while Hermione cried.

"You FUCKING LET THIS HAPPEN!" he screamed. "You said it was okay for him to torture me! And then you tortured Harry! As if he hadn't had enough! What's the deal, Malfoy?! Are you even on our fucking side?! Is this some fucking elaborate ruse to torture us even further?!"

"Please, tell me how you would've acted differently." Draco said softly. "Saying no to the Dark Lord would've blow our cover. He would have killed the both of you on the spot, or given you Potter's same fate."

"Don't you say his name!" Weasly kept on shouting. "You bastard! You don't fucking deserve shit from Harry! You are a fucking monster!"

Snape walked in then, sporting potions in his hands. One was for Ron's nose, the other one to calm his nerves after being subjected to the torture.

"If you would calm down, Mr. Weasly, we could devise a plan." Snape said, handing him the potions. He sat next to Draco. "We know that he can do wandless magic."

"Barely." Hermione said. "It took it all out of him."

"But we can use it to our advantage." Draco answered. "He needs provocation, though."

"Fuck off, Malfoy." Weasley said, remembering that Harry's provocation had been his own torture.

"Ron, stop." Hermione said, softly. "What do we know about the manor?"

"Magic wards." Snape said. "The Dark Lord is alerted of any spell cast inside the house, and he doesn't allow certain spells like apparating. That's why you usually need to leave the Manor before disappearing."

"Which means we wouldn't be able to apparate Harry away." Hermione said, her eyes watering.

"We would need to drag him out. But he is also alerted of every single person who enters or leaves the manor, which means sneaking in or out is not an option." Draco continued.

"So we're out of bloody options then." Ron said, but he was significantly more calm thanks to the potions. He sighed and rubbed his face, frustrated. "Is there anything that can be done?"

"We would need a distraction." Snape said. "There could be a way to take the magic wards off, sneak Potter out."

"Let's brainstorm, then." Draco sighed.

* * *

Three days passed and none of them had any substantial plan; nothing concrete. Any idea that came up would instantly be brought down by each other, until only frustration and rage remained. They worked nonstop trying to find anyone else that could help them; especially the Weasleys, upon Ron's request.

And then the Dark Lord summoned Draco again. This time with Snape.

"Don't you dare torture him again." Ron growled as Draco put his cape on.

"Or what?" Draco answered.

"Draco..." Hermione insisted.

"Look, you pair of brainless animals, I am trying to save Potter but I am also trying to stay alive, so if the Dark Lord asks something of me I am not about to refuse his direct order, because then he would not only kill me, he would also torture your Golden Boy further and then kill you, and Snape." he spat.

The three of them looked at each other with hatred for a while before Snape rolled his eyes and tugged Draco closer, apparating away.

Draco almost threw up as he stared at the enormous, terrible mansion.

"I hate this." he muttered.

"I know." Snape answered, but started towards the mansion anyway, Draco on tow.

Voldemort received them at the long dinning table, where he often held meetings. He had a plate of food in front of him, but he wasn't eating, simply staring at it. It was just a few pieces of meat and bread.

"My Lord." they both said as they bowed.

"My dear Draco and Severus. I am so glad to have you here. Please take a seat."

It wasn't until they walked closer to the table that they saw it... Harry was kneeling beside Voldemort.

Draco sighed. What fresh hell would Voldemort put Harry through now?


	4. Chapter 4

Draco and Snape took a seat at the table. There was no one else around, so they had no choice but to sit next to their lord, Draco having perfect view of Harry's battered form.

He was looking at the floor, his hands tied together before him with a rope.

"I'm sorry for the small inconvenience but I must feed my pet while we discuss urgent matters." Voldemort said, slowly. His voice made Harry flinch slightly. "I invited you both here to discuss the mission that was set for you."

"Yes, my Lord." Snape started, but he was cut off.

"Draco," the lord addressed him directly. Draco swallowed, his eyes tearing away from Harry's shaking form. "I haven't heard from you at all. It's been days."

"They have been harder to find than we originally thought, my Lord." he said softly.

Voldemort grabbed one of the pieces of meat, his lips twisting cruelly.

"How is your slave doing? Did he recover from that bout of Cruciatus that I dished on him?"

Harry flinched again, his eyes looking up. The green orbs were placed minutely on Draco, but then zeroed in on the food. The young, wounded wizard stared at it with such naked despair and so longingly that Draco felt his heart crush.

"No, when we got home, I tortured him some more and then we locked them up in the dungeons." Snape lied, seeing how Draco was struggling against the image.

Harry's eyes never left the food.

Voldemort chuckled and threw it to the floor, and Harry immediately dove for it, lifting it to his mouth and barely chewing before swallowing, his eyes closing as if he was eating a banquet. Draco's throat closed tightly, and he gripped his robes to force himself to remain calm.

"And the Granger girl?" Voldemort said, lifting another piece. Harry straightened, staring at it.

"We tortured her as well, my Lord. She deserved it." Snape answered, increasingly irritated at Draco's failure to speak.

Draco watched with a completely broken heart and a closed, aching throat how Harry didn't even flinch at that, his green, bruised eyes never leaving the food in his master's hand.

Voldemort dropped it then.

And Draco knew what was happening.

Harry's weakest spot, the only thing that kept him fighting, that made him rebel against Voldemort, were his friends. They were what had caused his magical outburst... and Voldemort was squishing it. With food, he was conditioning Harry in a sick way, so that he wouldn't even fight for them. So that he had nothing.

He had been so deprived of food that the simple image of it had him completely zoned out of the conversation, his only goal was to eat something.

"My, my, Draco. You look pale." Voldemort said, as he lifted a piece of bread.

Draco flinched and laughed a little, extremely forced.

"I, uh, I was just expecting Potter to react to the news. T-that's all." His voice was shaking and he cleared his throat.

"Yes, me too. But I have been training him well. He hasn't disobeyed since the last time you saw him." Voldemort answered, dropping the piece of bread. "So, do tell me, dear Draco. Has there been any progress you want to report?"

Draco was desperate to see any reaction from Harry, and he also wanted to avoid Voldemort getting angry. If Weasley and Granger didn't cause anything inside of him, he would take it a step further.

"W-we have information on Minerva McGonagall, my Lord." he lied. "And Ginny Weasley."

Harry's eyes left the food for a moment, staring at Draco, and then dropped to the floor. He seemed to be warring with himself, and Draco regretted his brash decision. The last thing Harry needed was to fight against his own emotions and get hurt even more.

"Oh?" Voldemort beckoned him to speak further.

"Y-yes, we... we, uh..." he stuttered, but he didn't have the words. His wit had deserted him as soon as it had come.

"We have witnesses that report a red haired girl, matches the Weasly girl's description, accompanied by the former Head of Gryffindor. They were last seen at Knockturn Alley but we have been having trouble following the leads." Snape spoke for him, once again saving him.

"Draco, you seem tense and nervous." Voldemort said.

"No, my Lord." he said, softly, trying not to look at Harry.

"Are you worried about the mission?" he asked conversationally.

Draco swallowed and looked at Snape for a moment before nodding. It was better than the truth. He was actually feeling sick for Harry.

"Y-y-es, my Lord. It's an honor but also quite the responsibility."

"Harry, my dear pet, get up." Voldemort said, standing up from his seat and taking Harry with him, pulling him up by his hair. Harry winced and his legs shook as he stood, his terrible wounds bleeding. "Did you enjoy your meal?"

Harry stared longingly at the few remaining pieces of food on the plate, before Voldemort curled his hand into a fist and sank it into Harrys bruised, unprotected stomach, making him cry out as he doubled over, gasping for breath. Draco and Snape both flinched, surprised at the sudden blow. Voldemort was never one to use physical force, preferring magic to cause harm and torture his victims.

Harry heaved a few times and Draco found himself praying that he could hold on to his meager meal.

"Well, Harry? It is impolite to leave questions unanswered."

Harry nodded, still trying to not throw up.

"Y-yes, master." he whispered as soon as he stopped heaving.

" _Incarcerous_." Voldemort muttered, and even more ropes tied Harry down, made him bend over the table, outstretched. Then, their Lord summoned a whip, and Draco had a terrible nauseous leap, guessing what Voldemort was going for. "I see you are stressed and that is interfering with your work. So, I will lend my little pet to you as a small stress-relief. You don't need to thank me."

He offered his whip to Draco, who stared at it for a long time, and then his eyes fell on Harry. His face was turned to him, and in his new position, they were directly within each other's line of sight. His green orbs were wide, terrified, watering. Snape kicked his leg from under the table and Draco reacted then, reaching for the whip with a shaking hand. Voldemort laughed when his fingers curled around the handle and he slowly stood up, watching as Harry shook even more.

He stared at his back, completely covered in scars, and open wounds and bruises. He had been through so much pain, and whipping him on top of that canvas of torture would be too horrible. He swallowed hard.

"Well?" Voldemort said, and Draco could hear the impatience in his voice.

If he didn't act fast, their cover would be blown.

"My Lord, I really don't want his blood on my clothes." Draco said, quickly. He couldn't do this.

Voldemort furrowed his eyebrows and then laughed, making both young boys flinch.

"I'll have Wormtail clean them for you."

Draco looked down at Snape, who was still sitting, and wanted to burst into tears right there. Snape glared at him and nodded slightly. Draco stepped back and, forcing his emotions deep down, drew his arm back. Harry closed his eyes shut.

And he slammed the whip forward.

The only sound was the air being cut, and then the skin. But Harry didn't cry out, or even whimper. He bit his lower lip and his eyes remained closed. Draco sighed and stared at the new bloodied stripe on his back.

Voldemort laughed and then outstretched his hand, demanding the whip.

"Let me show you how it's done. He'll be screaming in no time, and I'm sure that will be a great stress-relief for you. I want you to leave here with renewed vigor to complete your mission."

Draco handed him the whip and tried to laugh, too, but he was way too shaken. Seeing Voldemort treat Potter like an actual dog had hit him too deep.

And then Voldemort began the onslaught.

His whip dug into Potter's skin with such ferocity that blood splashed everywhere. Both Draco and Snape took several steps back to avoid getting blood on them, but it didn't make things better. Over and over Voldemort drew his whip back and forth, making it land on the poor boy's bare back, splitting his skin open.

Blood dripped steadily down his sides, creating a pool on the table that soon dripped down the edges. As promised by the Dark Lord, Harry began screaming, tears coursing down his face as he writhed against the terrible pain of being skinned alive on his back. And Voldemort didn't stop.

He kept going even as Harry's screams died down and only the sobs remained. Even as barely any skin remained.

Then he stopped.

Harry's eyes opened in anticipation as he tried to stop crying. Grey met green and then Harry looked away, turning his head downwards and pressing his forehead against the cool wooden surface. Sweat covered his body and he breathed raggedly.

"This got me in such a good mood. Draco?" Voldemort said. "Do you want to give it a go? It's great therapy."

"I'll do it." Snape said, stepping forward. Draco knew that he was only trying to spare him, in the hopes that Voldemort would stop bugging Draco if he got his sadistic urges satisfied by someone.

Draco closed his eyes as Snape struck, and Harry continued crying.

* * *

Ginny Weasley stared down at the fallen body of the Death Eater she had just killed.

That half year and the war leading up to it had hardened her in ways she could've never imagined. She leaned down and pulled a few hairs from her black hair, putting them into her pocket. She had taken to do that so that they'd never run out Polyjuice potion. It always came in handy.

She turned to George, who was doing similar things to the Death Eater he had taken down. It was becoming quite easy lately. They were getting very skilled at fighting; which was good because it had been only the three of them for a couple of months, after Bill had been killed and they had gotten separated from their parents. She could only hope they were okay.

Fred appeared from behind a few trees, dragging a petrified Death Eater with him. Ginny raised and eyebrow at them, wondering why he hadn't killed him.

Her brother threw the Death Eater to the floor and removed the spell, instantly replacing it with ropes that bound his wrists and ankles together. The man released a few curses as he glared up at them.

"Fred?" Ginny asked, confused.

"Go on, tell them." Fred said, kicking him on the side of the ribs. The man coughed and glared.

"I know where your stupid, piece of trash brother is." he said. "Potter's friend."

"Ron?" George exclaimed, leaning down to be eye to eye with the Death Eater.

"Yes. I can lead you to him if you release me. The Dark Lord will never know." he spat.

"Why would we trust you?" Ginny said, crossing her arms.

The Death Eater spat before smiling up at her, showing his disgusting, yellow teeth.

"Like you have a bloody choice. I can even tell you where others are being kept, too... but it'll cost a little favor from you, little red-head."

Ginny growled and took her wand out, pointing it at the man.

"Talk right now or I will make you writhe until your back snaps into pieces." she growled. Fred and George looked at each other uneasily, as they did every time their little sister showed a terrible dark side that was growing within her

"He's at the Malfoy manor. I can take you there." the man said, trying to hide his fear at Ginny's threat.

"Why would he be there?" Fred asked, his wand still trained on the man.

"Oh, you brainless Weasleys." the man said, before flinching as George drew his own wand as well. He rolled his eyes. "There was an auction not long ago. Slaves were sold, and Ron Weasley along with Granger were sold to Malfoy. He owns them now."

Ginny's anger, pain and despair grew tenfold and her hand shook.

 _"Avada Kedavra."_

"Ginny!" the twins exclaimed.

"I know where the Malfoy manor is. Dad told me once. We better get going." she said, turning and not sparing another glance at the corpse.

* * *

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Draco." Snape said as soon as they left the manor.

Draco was dizzy, pale, at the verge of puking. He couldn't get the image off of his head. Snape had not been as aggressive as Voldemort, but the whipping on top of previous wounds had been too much to handle for him. He had thrown up on the table, and when Voldemort had given permission to the former Potions professor to stop, the spreading blood had reached the floor and almost touched Draco's shoes.

The boy had been so wrecked, so filled with pain, that he had begun to beg for mercy.

Voldemort had let them leave then.

"You had no choice." the boy answered.

"Let's get out of here."

They apparated away.

Draco didn't even spare a glance to Ron and Hermione, instead locking himself up in his room.

* * *

Voldemort took a deep breath as he stared at Harry. He had passed out right after Malfoy and Snape had left.

His back was a complete mess, and torturing him and then watching him get tortured had inspired him.

He hadn't missed the way Draco seemed to be so uncomfortable, but he would dig into that later. It could be nothing, seeing as the boy was always queasy and nervous around him.

" _Ennervate."_ he muttered.

Harry came back to himself with a gasp, his body tensing.

"Welcome back, Harry." he said. "Draco and I had a very pleasant talk as you passed out. He told me he is on his way to get Ginny Weasley. When he brings her to me, I can make you and your friend watch as I have my way with her and kill her before your very eyes."

"No..." Harry muttered. "Please."

"Oh? Would you rather I have my way with you? And here I thought you were tamed already, my little pet. Remember that every time you let your emotions het the best of you, it's one day more without any food."

Harry swallowed and quieted down, knowing full well that his body couldn't take much more without food, much less after vomiting the only thing that had been in his stomach for days. He tensed, though, when he heard robed being ruffled behind him. He knew Voldemort was undressing.

"Please..." he muttered again. His back was killing him, the pain extremely intense. He didn't want anymore pain, and what Voldemort was planning on doing to him was among the worst tortures he had ever experienced. He suffered through it at least once a day when he was lucky, and after the morning round he had had, he was nowhere near ready for another go.

Voldemort chuckled and grabbed his hips.

"Oh, Harry." the man said cruelly. "Be glad none of your friends are here to watch you in this position."

The boy tried not to, but he screamed uncontrollably as Voldemort entered him, laughing.

* * *

"Ginny, I really doubt this is a good idea." Fred said.

They were in front of the manor, disguised as the Death Eaters they had recently put down. Ginny swallowed.

"We have no other choice." she answered.

"It took us, what, an hour to come up with this plan? It's rushed and could get us killed in no time." George said. "We don't know who is in that house right now."

"Well, the Malfoys are in Azkaban or dead. I know that for a fact. So only Draco should be there."

"Do you really think he would be unprotected?" Fred said. "Someone must be in there with him. I once heard him bragging about spending vacations with Snape, seeing as he is his godfather. He must be there."

"Okay." Ginny said. "Let's come up with a better plan. Meanwhile, try not to think about how he is torturing Ron." she added sarcastically.

"Fine. Fine, whatever. Let's go." Fred said.

Snape looked up from his potions as he heard the doorbell. Who could it be?

He hastily made his way to the entrance, where Draco already was. His eyes were red and puffy but he looked prepared for battle.

They looked at each other before Snape opened the door, his wand already trained on whoever was at the other side.

The sight of his former comrades of the Dark Side greeted him.

"What the hell are you three doing here?" Draco demanded

 _"Petrificus Totalus!_ " Snape yelled, stunning the three of them as they reached for their wands. "It's Polyjuice potion, Draco. I can smell it from here."

Snape levitated them into the mansion, closing the door behind himself, and Draco did the honor of unmasking them.

 _"Finite Incantatem."_ he said.

Red hair, freckles and pale skin blossomed on the three of them just as Ron and Hermione descended the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

The four siblings and Hermione hugged each other tightly, tears running down their faces as they exchanged words of how much they had missed each other, and how they couldn't believe they were still alive.

Draco and Snape stared at them. Snape had removed the spell so that they could greet each other, but now it had gone for an annoyingly long time for Draco's liking. He rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, but little did he expect for the younger girl to whip around and point the wand she was still clutching at him, snarling.

"Ginny, no!" Hermione said.

Draco growled back at her and clutched at his wand as well, which was hidden under his sleeve, but the girl didn't move.

"He's our ally." Ron said, albeit bitterly.

"Ally?" Fred asked, glaring daggers at both Slytherins.

"He's not a Death Eater." Hermione said softly. "He's been helping us."

"We were told he had enslaved you." Ginny said, her teeth clenched as she still glared at him. "That he had _bought_ you."

"Yes, I did. To save them from real Death Eaters who wanted to torture them or eat them alive." Draco said.

"Why do you trust him?" George asked.

"Are all Weasleys this daft? I clothed them, fed them, gave them shelter and have not hurt them once." Draco said.

"He also... we're... he's helping us." Ron said, his voice shaking. "Harry's alive."

Ginny whipped around, her jaw slack as she stared wide eyed at her brother. The twins did the same, petrified from shock.

"What?" the girl whispered.

"Where is he? How do you know this?" Fred demanded.

"He's with the Dark Lord." Snape said, speaking up for the first time. "He is truly enslaved, by him."

"We've seen him." Ron said, his voice finally cracking as his eyes filled with tears. Hermione released a sob. "The Dark Lord has been torturing him for six months. It's horrible."

Ginny trembled and the twins approached her to hug her again as tears fell from all the Gryffindor's faces.

Draco felt a knot in his throat and bit the inside of his lip to keep from crying as well.

.

A few hours later, they were sitting at the dinning table. Snape had disappeared to his lab. The Weasleys had been fed and clothed and put up to date with what was happening. More tears and rage ensued as Ron and Hermione retold what they had seen, except in less detail, but it was still a gruesome tale of their old friend, and Ginny's old crush, getting tortured half to death. Draco wondered if Ginny felt the same as he did.

When they spoke about the Dark Lord tracking down the remaining people in the Light, it was Draco's turn to talk.

"I am in charge of finding all of you and bringing you to him." Draco said. "Others will be helping me, including Bellatrix and Greyback, which means that you are in a lot of danger."

"Neville and Luna are alive, among others." Hermione added, softly. Ginny and the twins opened their eyes wide, something akin to hope growing within them.

"The Dark Lord is breathing on my neck." Draco said. "I will have to bring him someone soon... or the others will."

Before Ginny could say something amidst her rage, Hermione spoke up.

"The most important thing is to help Harry." she said. "We need to get him out of there but it is very difficult."

"Let's get in there, kill the stupid bastard and get Harry back." Ginny said. Ron looked at her in surprise.

"Yeah, sure, let's do that." Draco answered, crossing his arms. "Why didn't I think of that before? Oh, wait, maybe because he's the greatest fucking wizard in the world after your precious Dubledore died and Harry fell into his claws and won't just fall by a curse cast by a stupid girl like you."

"Watch your shitty mouth, Malfoy. I am not the little girl you met back at Hogwarts." she answered. "I'll kill you and won't even use my wand for it."

"Merlin, Ginny." Ron said. "What the hell?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and huffed.

"She's got a bit of anger issues." Fred commented.

"So what's the plan then?" the red-haired girl asked, impatient.

"We haven't come up with anything yet." Draco said. "The Dark Lord's manor is protected by spells that will trigger alarms if we even dare to move Potter."

That night, nightmares haunted all of them.

But it was Harry who was trapped in a living one.

He was locked inside the chest, again. His throat was sore from screaming, both during his torture and then after, when he had been shoved in there and had begged for mercy for Merlin-knows how long. Now he was quiet, his ragged breath and occasional whimpers the only sounds. His arms wrapped around himself, his legs numb from their forced position, his lower back screaming from the violation he experienced daily and his bent spine. His upper back was also pounding monstrously, the terrible wounds on it rubbing against the unforgiving wood.

Footsteps approached the chest and he closed his eyes shut, tears streaming down his face again as his body trembled harder. As painful and horrible as the chest was, it gave him a small confort. It was a barrier between him and his tormentor.

He sobbed as the chest opened and Voldemort's terrible face greeted him.

"Have you had time to think things through, little pet?"

Harry closed his eyes again, fighting against the memory. He had spat on Voldemort's face when he had told him that he'd rape all of his friends when they were found.

He had paid dearly for it.

"Well?"

"Yes." he whispered.

Voldemort grabbed his arm and pulled him up, making him cry out.

"Good, because I have a small gift for you." the Dark Lord said, pulling him along.

The boy had absolutely no energy in him, and he fell to the floor as soon as he was forced to step out of the chest. Voldemort pointed his wand at him, and Harry had half a mind to beg as his heart pounded fiercely inside of him... but what was the point? Voldemort would torture him anyway if he pleased and there was not a damn thing Harry could do. Begging, fighting back, yielding... it all gave the same result.

He closed his burning eyes then, and felt acceptance flow through him.

He could feel his mind slipping.

And for the first time since he had been enslaved by his worst enemy, he thought that wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Maybe he should just give up and be done with it.

However, as soon as the thought entered his decaying mind, he heard the distinctive sounds of someone struggling, screaming through a gag... and cruel laughter.

His eyes shot open, and his stomach dropped from under him.

Fenrir Greyback and another werewolf he didn't recognize walked into the room, smiling nastily. Between them, tied and gagged, was Remus Lupin.

Harry was overwhelmed with the emotions inside of him. For one, he was glad Remus was alive. He could've sworn he was dead. But he looked worse for wear, with a bloodied face and a black eye. And well, him being there with the Dark Lord and the werewolves meant nothing good.

And then shame invaded him, at having Remus see him like that, naked and beaten up and so damn close to death.

Harry stared, his mind reeling, as his former teacher stared at him and called his name from behind the gag, his eyes watering as he struggled even more. But Greyback towered over him and his massive hand kept a tight grip on his victim.

"I told you I'd reunite you with your friends." Voldemort said. "I know Remus Lupin was like a father to you since you were, what? Thirteen?"

"Please..." Harry croaked. "Leave him alone."

"You were very disrespectful to me this morning." the Dark Lord continued, as if he hadn't hear Harry. "I told you what I'd to to each of your friends. And I told you I was going to make you watch."

"No..." Harry moaned. "I-I'll do anything. Please, leave him alone."

"Well, I did promise that I'd make them watch you get yours, too. So what will it be? I know Fenrir here is aching to sink his teeth into someone."

Greyback and his company laughed, and Remus fought harder against his restraints, to no avail.

Harry shuddered as he remembered how Greyback had bitten into his leg, and the unsurmountable pain of having it broken in half. But he couldn't let them hurt Remus. He couldn't.

"Hurt me." he whispered, his voice breaking.

"Well," Voldemort laughed "that's a bit of an understatement. Whether we torture you or your friend, it'll hurt you nonetheless."

Harry closed his eyes, and he felt himself falling asleep for a second before forcing them open again. It happened a lot lately, that he'd fall asleep out of nowhere, given the fact that he rarely ate anything and never had any chance to sleep except when he passed out and Voldemort left him alone, but most of the times the pain was too much and he only slept for an hour before his body woke him up... or his nightmares.

"T-torture me." he whispered.

Remus began crying then. When Fenrir had caught him he had been terrified of what the wolf would do to him. He remembered how cruel he had been when he had first been bitten, so many years back... but now, being in that room and watching Harry was a far worse torture than he could've imagined Fenrir preparing for him. He thought he'd be tortured and killed by Voldemort...

He never expected Harry to be alive.

Much less like this.

He was so broken... and the blood between his legs made Remus's heart rip into pieces.

But throughout all the pain he was surely in, he was still willing to sacrifice himself for Remus's sake.

"Oh, you made your friend upset." Greyback laughed, shaking Remus.

"Well, Fenrir, you can take them both to your pack. Make sure Harry's friend watches everything that is done to him... and make sure my pet screams." Voldemort said. Fenrir smiled widely, showing his yellow fangs. "But, keep both of them alive. That is my only rule now."

He disapparated with a crack, then.

Harry closed his eyes as Greyback approached him.

* * *

Draco was dozing off on an armchair by the fire, tea in his hands.

It was late, but he couldn't go to bed. He'd have haunting nightmares.

He flinched when someone walked into the room, her red hair seeming to glow in the light of the fire as her freckled face stared at him.

"I'm sorry." she whispered. "I didn't know you were awake."

"Is there something you need?" he asked, suspicious of her wandering around his mansion.

"I was going to find Dobby... see if he could give me some water."

"There's a bathroom attached to your room. The water is clean to drink." Draco answered, his eyes narrowing as he clutched his wand under his sleeve.

Ginny sighed and lifted her hands, catching the movement under the blonde's robes.

"I'm not here to curse you or anything. I just couldn't sleep." she said.

Draco motioned for a seat in front of him and she took it, staring into the fire.

"It must've been a rough six months to turn sweet Ginny Weasley into a ruthless harpy." he commented as he saw hatred still lingering in Ginny's eyes, the fire making them seem even more savage. He knew she was imagining the horrible fate of her dear friend.

Her eyes turned to him.

"There was a time when I thought Harry was the love of my life." she said, softly. "I was head over heels for him, and then..."

"The war happened." Draco said, staring intently at her.

"No." she answered, her eyes narrowing. "You happened. There were rumors about you and Harry... I didn't believe them at first, but then the first time I kissed Harry he..." she looked away and remained quiet for a moment. Draco's heart beat inside his chest intensely. Had Harry told her something about them? About how he felt for him? "Why am I even telling you this?"

Draco sighed.

"We kissed, once. I liked him. I think he liked me back but I know he had a crush on you too at some point in history. He was very confused." Draco said, looking back at the fire. "None of that matters now. What matters is rescuing him."

"And killing that fucking bastard once and for all." she said, bitterly.

"That's easier said than done." Draco answered.

Then, they remained silent.

* * *

Lupin was desperate. He wailed and screamed through his gag as he was forced to watch what Greyback's pack was doing to Harry.

Tears ran down his face every time the boy screamed in pain.

There were five werewolves in total, who had dragged both of them down to one of Voldemort's dungeon and had trussed up Harry against a wall, his wrists chained above his head.

They were taking turns biting him all over his body. They laughed as they sank their canines into his flesh, sometimes pulling it off of his bones and swallowing it. Harry was bleeding profusely, screaming his throat raw as they tore his body apart. The wounds weren't too big, so as not to kill him, but they were deep and sometimes the sheer force of their jaws on his weakened body broke the bones clean in half.

At one point, Harry's eyes met Remus's and the former professor could see such desperate pain, a palpable cry of help in his green orbs.

They stopped after a while, stepping back as they stared at their toy, shaking and sobbing as his thin, skeletal body hung in misery. Blood ran down every wound, dripping onto the floor.

Greyback laughed harder and turned when he heard Lupin's pitiful sobs.

He cleaned his bloodstained jaw with his forearm.

"You didn't cry nearly this much when I turned you."

Lupin cursed at him from behind his gag, glaring and struggling against the ropes that kept him bound, kneeling on the floor with his arms tied tightly behind his back.

"You know, Fenrir..." one of the werewolves, the one who had helped him drag Remus to the Dark Lord, said. "The Dark Lord didn't say anything about not mounting him this time."

Harry's head shot up, his bloodshot eyes widening in absolute fear at that.

"N-no... no." he muttered.

Greyback turned back to him, laughing, and lifted his wand.

It was not a Cruciatus curse, but it was terrible nonetheless and Harry felt as if red-hot iron rods were being driven into his sides. He screamed and squealed in pain, writhing desperately as tears ran down his face. It went for a terribly long time, until he mercifully passed out.

But the wolves would allow none of that.

" _Ennervate_."

Fenrir walked closer to him, making Harry flinch and close his eyes shut. He untied his wrists and the boy fell to the floor unceremoniously, shaking but unable to move. The wolf then grabbed his hair and lifted him up. The boy's face filled with pain but he had no energy to scream or complain anymore.

"Y'know, Lupin, when we found you in the woods, I was thrilled to think that the lord would let me and my pack torture you. We did enjoy killing your friend, though... Tonks, was it?" Harry's eyes widened, a knot formed in his throat. Oh, no... not Tonks. Lupin wrinkled his nose and screamed in rage an pain, writhing harder. "But watching your reaction as we torture Potter... even more delicious."

He released the boy and Harry crumpled to the floor, gasping in pain as he tried to talk. As he tried to tell Remus that he was so, so sorry...

Another spell was cast by one of Fenrir's friend. Harry's body writhed on the ground as invisible flames wrapped around him. His skin burnt and blistered as seemingly nothing touched him, but the pain was real. And the smell of burnt flesh. He screamed and cried, feeling as if he were melting, as if all the skin was being burnt off of his body.

Lupin heaved at the smell, and then it stopped.

"We've dragged this long enough." Fenrir said. He used one foot to turn Harry over onto his stomach. "Oh, I've wanted for this for so long."

Harry was already swimming in and out of consciousness, so he wasn't truly aware enough to plead or feel any shame. Only fear remained, but even that was ebbing away as black spots danced in his vision.

Lupin, however, screamed through a raw throat as Fenrir unbuttoned his pants and knelt next to Harry.

The boy's scream as he was penetrated without any preamble only made him cry harder.


	6. Chapter 6

To say that Ginny was nervous would be an understatement.

But at least she wasn't freaking out like Fred and Geroge. They were screaming at her and Malfoy. Thankfully, she had gotten really good at ignoring their nagging.

"It is far too dangerous!"

"You haven't even formulated a real plan!"

"You'll get yourself killed."

"Or worse."

"Enough." Malfoy said as he fixed his black, Death-Eater robes. "It's the only way."

The twins looked at each other before turning to Ron and Hemione. "Say something!"

Ron opened his mouth to talk, but Ginny interrupted them.

"Every minute we spend here formulating and scratching ideas and plans is a minute Harry is suffering. Or, a minute closer to his death. We don't have all the time in the world." she said.

"Ginny, maybe it would be better if we found more people... We're far too few." Hermione said.

"We've been here for a week." Ginny answered, glaring at her. "You two, for even longer. And we haven't found more people or come up with a better plan. Harry can't wait forever. We need to save him now."

"We shouldn't rush into anything." Ron said, trying to stay calm. "Hermione is right. We're seven bloody kids and Snape..."

"Not Snape." Malfoy said. "We're not getting him into this."

"Well, seven kids, then." Ron continued. "We're not enough, Ginny. We can't take him down."

"We're not taking him down." she said, exasperated. "We're rescuing Harry. _Then_ we'll take him down."

"This is so stupid! Ginny, wake up!" George said.

"We've taken down a few Death Eaters but that doesn't mean we can just fool You-Know-Who and steal Harry from him!" Fred added.

Ginny swallowed and looked at Malfoy. The blonde boy rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"It's your call." he said quietly.

"What about you, Malfoy?" George said. "This will mean you entire cover will be blown. He will be after you, too. And as much as you don't want to get Snape involved in this, he'll be targeted, too."

"Are you sure you're ready to be running away all the time?" Fred added.

"Leaving your life of comfort?"

"This means he will enlist someone else to track down our remaining allies." Hermione tried to reason. "Someone more dangerous who will stop at nothing. Him enlisting you is probably the main reason why the others haven't been found. It sends the whole plan down the drain."

Malfoy looked at Ginny and she rolled her eyes. They had spoken all week long about how Harry could not be there anymore. How they had to rescue him as soon as possible. How both of them would give their lives up just to get him out of there. Draco was also tired of tormenting himself at night, thinking over and over about how he could've stopped each and every one of the times he had seen Harry suffer. He had even helped.

"Yes, I'm aware." he said. "I'm also aware that every day that goes by, could be the last day of Potter's life."

"Fine." George growled. "Okay, let's say we go along with this stupidity. Tell us everything again."

Draco rolled his eyes and began talking.

* * *

That night, Voldemort had called for another meeting.

They apparated a few miles away from the manor. Ginny, Ron and Hermione were subjected to the _Species excursior_ curse, and looked beaten up and weak. Draco held their shackles in one hand.

"Are you sure about bringing her, Draco?" Snape said before they walked towards the somber mansion. His eyes landed on Ginny. "They will stop at nothing to torture you. They know Potter was in love with you." he told her.

Draco almost flinched at how Snape spat the word "love".

"Yes, this will prove to the Dark Lord that I'm on his side." Draco said, hiding their plan from Snape.

"I will stand whatever they dish out." Ginny said.

Ron shuddered, remembering his own torture, and shook his head.

"This is madness." he muttered.

Draco had discussed with Ginny the possible outcomes, and he stared at her to make sure she was still on board with the whole thing. He had told her that Voldemort enjoyed torturing Harry in every possible way, and that included rape. So, he wouldn't be above raping her as well, in front of Harry, because he knew that Harry had loved her, or at least cared for her in an entirely different level than what he had cared for Hermione or any other of his friends. He had told her that Ron had been tortured briefly, but Ginny would be an entirely different matter. If Voldemort decided to torture her, it wouldn't be brief. And, finally, if the plan did not work, her demise would be slow and grueling.

She had been surprisingly brave.

As she was at that moment. She stared back at him and nodded briefly.

Then, they began walking.

Pettigrew, as usual, received their coats. His beady eyes widened when he stared at Ginny.

"I can't believe this. Baby Malfoy caught a big fish!" he laughed.

"Shut up, Wormtail." Draco answered.

"The Dark Lord will be pleased." Pettigrew continued as if Draco hadn't said anything at all. "He's waiting for you in the living room on the second floor."

As they made their way towards the second floor, Draco could feel the fear emanating from the Gryffindors. Fear of seeing Harry.

They entered the living room, where Voldemort was sitting on a throne-like velvet chair surrounded by a few Death Eaters that included Fenrir, Bellatrix and the Carrow brothers. Harry was nowhere in sight.

"My dear, dear Draco" the Dark Lord said, a note of surprise in his dark voice, "and Severus. I must deeply congratulate you."

Ginny suppressed a shudder and stared at everyone else around the room. They looked torn between jealousy, because it had been Draco who found her, and a deep desire to rip her to pieces out of pure bloodlust.

"Found the little weasel-girl all on your own, I see." Fenrir growled.

"Yes, I thought I'd give Potter a surprise." Draco said, faking a smile.

Voldemort slowly got up from his seat, making every single person in the room tense. He walked towards them, his smile getting bigger by the second. When he was directly in front of Ginny, he began laughing, his subordinates following his lead. Draco tried to fake laughter as well. The three Gryffindors couldn't help but shudder... although Ginny's reaction carried unparalleled anger. She glared at the Dark Lord, who simply kept on laughing.

"You will be rewarded for this." he told Draco and Snape. "But first things first. Draco, accompany me to see our dear boy-who-lived."

Nervously, Draco and his three slaves followed Voldemort through the manor. The other Death Eaters, including Snape, stayed in the living room to continue hatching plans to keep Voldemort in power.

"Do tell me how you got your hands on sweet Ginny Weasley." Voldemort spoke as they descended a set of stairs.

"I tortured Ron Weasley into telling me all the possible places Ginny could be hiding. Turns out the Weasley family had certain spots where they would go if they were in danger and hope to meet each other. Snape and I went on a scavenger hunt then, to all the places he told me. And I found her in one of those, hiding all alone. It wasn't hard to outhex her and capture her, my Lord." Draco said proudly, the made-up story rolling off of his tongue easily.

"I'm so proud of you, Draco." Voldemort said.

They finally reached the end of the stairs. A black, shiny metal door was waiting for them at the end of a long, badly-lit hallway.

Voldemort spoke Parsel and it slid to one side, allowing them entrance into a dungeon.

Draco swallowed... at least he wasn't in the Dark Lord's personal chambers.

They walked inside and the four youngsters couldn't help but gag at the smell and sight. There were half-dead people lying inside the cells, most of them muggles no doubt. It smelled of blood and decay. Voldemort seemed unfazed and he simply lifted his wand, its tip illuminated to cast some more light on the scenery. The people who were still conscious cowered at the sight. Some of them cringed in their corners, some of them started crying or yelling, but the Dark Lord ignored them all.

"These are all prisoners of war." he explained as they continued forward. "Some muggles, some mudbloods, some traitors... I don't usually come down here myself. I keep them to entertain my subjects."

"Are there any prisoners that would've been friends with my slaves?" Draco asked, fighting to keep the trembling from his voice. The Weasleys and Hermione thanked him silently.

"No. After the auction we've only found one... Well, two with your little discovery."

"Who?" Draco asked. When the Dark Lord turned a suspicious, glaring eye towards him, he swallowed nervously. "If I may ask, my Lord. I'm just curious."

The older man smiled mischievously but remained silent. Only their steps and the moans and sobs from the people around them resonated as they kept walking. They finally reached the end. A tall, stone wall stood before them. The four youngsters shuddered, and Ginny felt real, raw fear for the first time since they had entered the manor. There, on the wall, was the image of a snake wrapped around a lion. The snake was wrapped so tightly around the lion that it was crushing it, choking it. One of its long fangs was going clean through the lion's eye.

Voldemort spoke in parsel again and the stone wall slowly moved, creating a doorway for them to walk through.

Nothing could've prepared them for what was inside.

Ginny's eyes immediately filled with tears, a sob ripping through her throat. She was better at hiding her emotions than her brother, though, who immediately yelled out.

"Harry!"

"Shut up, slave." Draco said, but his eyes were trained on the image, too. He was paler than usual.

Harry was tied up against a wall. He seemed unconscious, his head dropped down to his chest and his eyes closed.

His entire body was destroyed. Blood covered him completely, and enormous gouges and gashes stood on his skin; a result of the werewolves' game. There was a puddle of blood beneath him.

Remus was in front of him, also tied up; but held down to the floor. He was on his knees, sitting on his ankles. His hands were tied behind him. He was gagged, too, and his eyes were swollen from crying; but he seemed otherwise okay.

"Professor Lupin." Hermione whispered.

Lupin stared at them, wide-eyed and terrified.

"Yes, Professor Lupin." Voldemort said, mockingly. "I brought some more of your students. If you don't mind, however, I would like to be the Professor this time. _Ennervate_." He pointed his wand at Harry, who woke up with a gasp. He looked around, disoriented, before the pain of his injuries hit and he cried out through clenched teeth, writhing. "It's very rude to fall asleep during classes, Harry."

"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, his voice hoarse, ignoring Voldemort. Then, his eyes landed on Draco and anger settled on his destroyed face. "What did you do to her?"

Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry, who immediately began writhing in pain, but didn't scream. It stopped after a few seconds.

"You should not speak out of turn, Mr. Potter." he said, mockingly. "It was, though, an excellent question, so I will let it slide for now. However, I am afraid that what you should be asking is what we are _going_ to do to her." Voldemort drawled, amusement and happiness evident in his voice. "I promised you that I would do to your friends what I did to you, and I promised that I'd make you watch. I spared Lupin because I knew there were even more valuable trophies out there. Case in point."

Harry swallowed and lowered his head. Exhaustion was evident in every single inch of his body. He was shaking with fear, anger and overexertion.

"Please, just leave her alone." he whispered.

Voldemort had force-fed him a variety of potions after his round with the wolves. He suspected those were the only reason he was still alive. After Fenrir's... actions, he had fallen into a deep unconsciousness. He only remembered waking up, tied up to the wall again, with Voldemort and Wormtail shoving liquids down his throat. He had been too weak to fight, and those had been the only sustenance he had received in a long time, so he hadn't put up a fight. After a few moments, he realized that the terrible wounds were slowly closing.

It wasn't exciting for him. He knew Voldemort healed him just so that he could keep on torturing him.

"I can't do that, though, my dear Harry. See, you're still in a healing process, and if I were to physically hurt you, I might risk killing you too fast. No, no, no." the older man mused. "I must hurt your friends."

Harry's body shook harder, his eyes squeezing shut.

Remus began yelling behind his gag, again.

Draco tried to laugh.

"You should untie him, my Lord." he said, his voice thin. "He will try to fight but it will be useless."

Voldemort laughed and pointed his wand at Harry. Draco tried not to look at Remus who was currently glaring at him. The professor being there complicated the whole plan.

After a wave of his hand, the ropes vanished and Harry fell to the floor on his hands and knees. He looked up at them for a moment before throwing up a mixture of bile, blood and the potions Voldemort had given him.

Ginny began crying.

"Harry!" Ron said, unable to control himself anymore.

"My, if that makes you sick, I can't even begin to imagine what you'll feel like after everyone upstairs is done with your girlfriend."

Harry gasped hoarsely when he was done and shakily cleaned his mouth with the back of his hand. Then he looked up at Voldemort, hatred evident in his eyes.

"Don't..." he croaked. He wanted to scream at the monster to just leave everyone alone, but he didn't have the energy.

"Merlin, Harry..." Ron said, trying to keep his tears at bay, while at the same time stepping in front of Ginny to protect her.

Draco took a deep breath, still trying to smile and then turned to Voldemort.

"My Lord, if I may," he said, "I've been practicing the _Cruciatus_ curse. Could I show you using the Weasley girl as example?"

Voldemort smiled widely before laughing.

"Finally, Draco. Of course, of course. Please show the class what you've learned."

Draco nodded and turned to Ginny. She looked back at him, determined. He lifted his wand, his hand shaking minutely.

"Don't you dare, Malfoy." Ron said, glaring at him. He tried to stand in front of Ginny, but his sister shoved him away.

" _Crucio."_ Draco muttered, and the curse hit her.

She immediately fell to the floor, screaming. Draco forced out laughter. He didn't know if she was pretending to be extremely hurt by it as they had practiced, or if it really hurt as bad as it seemed. Either way, it was the only way to push Harry.

And Harry screamed as well. In fact, Ron and Hermione did, too, which forced Draco to pull on their chains, making them fall to the floor.

"STOP!" Harry screamed, before coughing dryly. "MALFOY, STOP, PLEASE!"

He did, only because he was worried that Ginny's writhing and screaming was more than just show.

She panted, shaking. It had hurt a hell of a lot more than what she had anticipated. She glared at Malfoy. The little bastard had promised that his curse wasn't all that powerful.

"Ginny, are you okay?" Ron asked, his voice shaking.

Ginny didn't answer, instead she swallowed and tried to sit up.

"Come on, Potter. Don't you want to save your girlfriend?" Malfoy laughed. " _Crucio!"_

Ginny screamed again, writhing. Draco wanted to look away, but it was part of the plan. If he was the one torturing Ginny, it would keep Voldemort from doing it to her as well.

"Please, Malfoy!" Harry continued begging, tears running down his face. He wanted to crawl over to them to protect Ginny, but his body couldn't move.

And Draco didn't stop. He kept on casting the curse, watching with apparent satisfaction as Ginny suffered.

What they didn't anticipate, though, was that the Dark Lord would turn on the other two. He had been happily observing, watching as everyone in the room except him and Draco cried and screamed... but then he acted.

" _Crucio_." he said, pointing at the other girl in the room.

Hermione started screaming.

Harry screamed with everything he had as he stared at his friends suffering, begging and sobbing and feeling his body shutting down from the immense effort.

Remus and Ron screamed, too.

Draco was stunned, completely unprepared for the Dark Lord's reaction, but he kept the curse.

Then, it happened.

Wandless magic exploded from Harry. Much stronger than when it had happened inside Voldemort's bedroom. It knocked Draco and the Dark Lord off of their feet, Remus fell on his back, and Ginny, Ron and Hermione slid towards the walls. The walls themselves cracked slightly, as did the floor. It was extremely powerful magic, and Draco could feel his wand cracking a little bit. He looked at Ginny, who was looking at him, too. He took a deep breath, rolled on the floor to face Harry, and pointed his wand at him.

A few seconds later, Harry passed out. His body was covered in sweat.

Voldemort sat up and glared at him.

"Looks like he needs more suffering." he growled darkly. " _Ennervate_."

Harry woke up with a gasp and panted, his body vibrating. He looked around, confusedly. His green eyes landed on Ginny.

"Ginny..." he muttered, before coughing again. "Ron, Hermione..."

Voldemort walked up to him and kicked him square in the stomach, hard. Harry curled into a ball and coughed again. Then, after a wave of Voldemort's wand, ropes wrapped around his wrists and neck.

"Off you go." Voldemort growled after pulling on the end of the rope. With another wave of his wand, Harry disappeared. "I just sent him upstairs. Draco, would you bring Professor Lupin as well?"

Draco nodded, getting up and chaining Lupin with magic as well.

They all walked back upstairs, Ginny leaning on Ron and Hermione as she had been weakened by the curse.

Harry's screams could be heard even before they reached the living room. When they got there, they saw Harry writhing and screaming as Bellatrix pointed her wand at him.

"That's enough." Voldemort said, darkly. His followers flinched at the anger in his voice. "We have a new toy."

He turned towards Ginny. The chains fell from her body and he grabbed her arm, harshly, and threw her in the middle of the room, next to Harry.

"Oh, yes." Fenrir growled, staring at her hungrily.

"No!" Harry screamed, trying to free himself from the ropes. Fenrir had nearly killed him, he could barely imagine what he'd do to Ginny. "Stay... away..." he said between gasps.

"Don't be jealous, Potter. As soon as we're finished with her, you and I can continue what we started in the dungeons." Fenrir said. The rest of the group laughed.

Harry's eyes widened with fear for a moment before glaring at him.

Not a moment too soon, the fireplace crackled to life. Everyone turned to it as a face slowly appeared within the flames.

"My Lord", the Death Eater in the fire said. He looked panicked. "You need to come here, now. We found them! We found Dumbledore's Army!"

Everyone gasped.

"Found who, exactly?" Voldemort asked, walking calmly towards the fire.

"A lot of Gryffindors. Minerva McGonagall, Neville Longbottom, the entire Weasley family... well, except for the little girl." the Death Eater said.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Bellatrix exclaimed. "Bring them here!"

"No, no. They are far too many. We need help bringing them in. Please, my Lord!"

"Alright, I'll send a group over." Voldemort said. His anger was increasing by the second.

"No! You need to come! They... they said something about a... diadem they found." the Death Eater answered, panicked.

Voldemort tensed at that and whirled around to look at Harry, whose eyes were wide.

"I'll be right there." the Dark Lord growled. The fire died suddenly. "So, you told your little friends about Rowena's diadem, didn't you, Potter?"

"I... I didn't..." Harry was overwhelmed with emotion. Dumbledore's Army? They were still alive?! But at the same time, he was terrified. And the diadem... Only Ron and Hermione knew.

" _Crucio!_ " Voldemort yelled.

Harry screamed uncontrollably. That was the hardest curse the evil lord had ever cast on him. The pain was excruciating.

Thankfully, it didn't last.

"My Lord, if you wish I can stay and take care of Potter and his friends." Bellatrix smiled mischievously as soon as Voldemort lifted the curse.

"You?!" Draco said hastily, his heart beating in his throat. "You'd kill him with your stupid, sadistic games. Please, my Lord. Snape and I will stay."

Snape stared at him, trying to hide his surprise and confusion.

Voldemort stayed quiet for a moment, and every single hair on Draco's body stood on edge. Was Voldemort suspecting something?

"I guess we can't take your slaves with us." Voldemort growled. "Fine, you and Snape can stay. And Bellatrix, too."

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck._ Draco thought. If he tried to change Voldemort's mind again, then their cover would probably be blown.

Instead, he smiled.

"I guess we can show Ginny Weasley a good time." he laughed. Bellatrix smiled sadistically.

Voldemort smiled as well, and with a few cracks, they all disappeared from the room.

"Alright, what are we going to - "

" _Petrificus totalus!_ " Draco exclaimed, pointing his wand at his aunt. Unfortunately, she was one of Voldemort's most skilled warriors, and she whipped her own wand around to deflect the curse.

"What the hell are you doing, boy?" she screamed.

"Draco, what are you doing?" Snape exclaimed as well.

Draco sighed and closed his eyes. It had been his plan from the beginning to save Snape from a lifetime of running.

"You, shut up!" He exclaimed. "I hate you both. I don't want to be a Death Eater anymore."

Snape swallowed and looked around the room at the Gryffindors. Then, he understood. They had a plan... but it was far too risky.

"You will pay dearly for this." Bellatrix said.

"Draco..." Snape tried to reason. He was panicking. Why hadn't Draco even consulted him about this?

"No! Shut up! _Expelliarmus!_ " he exclaimed, pointing at Snape. The curse was so strong that Snape leapt through the air and landed against the center table, shattering it. And just like that, he was unconscious. If the Dark Lord saw that Draco had rebelled against his godfather as well, he would spare him.

Harry was instantly reminded of how he had done the same to Snape when they were at the Shrieking Shack. But he was intensely confused. He turned to look at Ginny.

"Harry..." she cried. "We need to leave. You have to do wandless magic again. Kill her!"

Harry swallowed. He couldn't. There was nothing left in him. He was awake only because Voldemort had forced him with his spells.

"By now, the Dark Lord must be alerted of the spells you just used. It won't belong until he returns." Bellatrix said. "You can't beat me, dear Draco, and the Dark Lord knows that. That's why he told me to stay here as well."

Draco stared minutely at his slaves. Their chains had loosened when he had cast his spell on Snape, and they were frantically trying to untie Remus. Fortunately, Bellatrix's back was towards them.

"Y-you're right." Draco said, trying to stall her. "You're right, I... I was just so mad at Snape. I hate him. B-but I didn't mean what I said. I hate Potter, you know that."

"See, why don't I believe you, my dear Dwaco baby?" she said, feigning a baby voice.

"Please, aunt Bella." he said. "I-I can torture Ginny Weasley to prove it to you."

"No!" Harry exclaimed, again, hoarsely.

Bellatrix smiled.

"Alright." she said softly. "Do it, then."

"Harry, do wandless magic, please." Ginny muttered in Harry's ear. "Please, please, you have t-" she was cut off by her own scream as Draco began torturing her again.

Harry screamed and tried to get up, tried to push himself. Tried to push his magic outwards again, but nothing happened. He was empty.

"Please, Malfoy! Please!" he screamed. "Torture me!"

He didn't have to, though, as Remus was finally freed from his bonds.

Everyone acted as quickly as they could. Remus grabbed every single piece of energy he had inside of him and lunged at Bellatrix. She wasn't expecting it, so they both fell to the floor and rolled around. Draco then undid the chains around Ron and Hermione, who rushed towards Harry and Ginny.

"Take him outside! Now!" Draco exclaimed, and then he lunged at Bellatrix, too. Ron grabbed Harry, wincing as he cried out in pain, and carried him bridal style. Hermione helped Ginny up and the four of them rushed out of the manor.

While Remus was holding her down, Draco took her wand from her hand and broke it into two.

"Go outside with Harry! Now!" he told Remus. "They are coming!"

Lupin didn't waste a second. He got up and ran after the golden trio and Ginny.

Draco panted before pointing his wand at Bellatrix, who was cowering under him, and muttered the killing curse.

Harry stared in complete shock as the window in the horrible manor lightened a florescent green. Draco ran outside as a shrill shrieking noise began to emanate from the mansion. It was the alarm, alerting the Dark Lord and his followers that Harry had been taken out of the mansion. There was nothing left to do. Voldemort and his followers would've noticed by then that the Death Eater calling them through the fire was nothing more than a lie. They would've already reached the point were the Death Eater was supposed to be to find everything empty.

They would've also noticed that magic (and not exactly torture spells) had been cast inside the mansion. That magic included the killing curse, which would highly alert Voldemort.

And the alarm... that was the tell-tale sign.

They kept running towards the woods. Remus was intensely confused, but he followed them nonetheless.

As soon as they were deep in the forest, they stopped.

"Grab onto Harry." Ginny ordered, and they all did.

And then, with a loud crack, they were all gone.

* * *

Harry had passed out during the transportation. It was normal, seeing as he was the vessel.

He was lying on a makeshift bed that Fred and George had set up while the others were at the manor. Everyone else was sitting around him. They were inside a tent, in the middle of a faraway forest. It would take a long time for Voldemort and the others to find them... or so they hoped.

Remus was casting a set of healing spells on Harry. They weren't enough, not by a long shot, but at least they were closing some of the more severe injuries and fighting some of the infection. He was worried, though, because he was using Malfoy's wand so the spells weren't all that strong either. If he only had his wand with him...

As soon as he was done, he handed the wand back to Draco.

"Alright, now tell me everything. What just happened?"

"We hatched a plan." Ginny said. "I can't believe it worked out."

"Just two days ago we found out about _Vasa pretiosa_ , a spell that turns a person into some sort of portkey, or vessel, except it's only one trip and nobody can ever find out where they went. It only lasts for about 30 minutes, too." Draco explained.

"Yes, I'm familiar with it." Remus muttered.

"Yeah, well, there were two problems with that. First, the person receiving the spell needs to be displaying magic as well. That is, they would need to be casting a spell at the moment or it wouldn't work. And second, if we were to cast it inside the manor, the Dark Lord would've found out." Draco continued. "He gets alerted about any use of magic that happens inside or around the manor."

"We knew we needed it to be Harry. None of us have ever performed wandless magic before, we don't even know how to do it, so only Draco could use magic." Ginny added. "Besides, if we were to cast it on any of us before entering the manor, the circumstances were too unpredictable. The spell could've faded before we even saw Harry."

"So, we decided that we would force Harry to do wandless magic again, to be able to receive the spell, and to distract the Dark Lord from any other magic usage... which seemed to work. He was way too focused on Harry's display of magic that he didn't even notice my spell." Draco said.

"That's why you cast the Cruciatus spell on Ginny." Remus said.

"A few weeks ago Harry did wandless magic when Voldemort tortured Ron." Hermione said, her breath hitching a little as she mentioned his name. "That's when we knew that he could do it... But it was only reasonable that he'd be even more affected by Ginny."

"Then the second part of the plan would be for Fred to call Voldemort through the fire. If they came with us, Voldemort would immediately notice that they were using polyjuice potions. Through the fire, though, he wouldn't be able to tell." Ginny said. "He knows where all his followers are, so we hoped that he would assume that the Death Eater Fred turned into would be where we last saw him when we killed him. The incredible timing was just pure luck."

Fred and George smiled slightly, although they had paled as soon as they had heard that Draco tortured Ginny.

"I'm sorry we had to leave Snape behind." Ginny said softly. "I know you cared for him."

Draco remained silent for a moment.

"It's better for him this way." he muttered, shrugging. "He never wanted to be a runaway."

Remus sighed and nodded.

"It was very dangerous, but I'm glad it worked out. I don't know how much longer Harry could've lasted... Just yesterday they..." he swallowed, his throat closing up, before shaking his head.

"They what?" Ginny asked.

Remus fought against the tears but one still slipped down his cheek. He swallowed against the painful lump in his throat and shook his head again.

"It's no point telling." he sobbed.

"He's with us now." Hermione said.

That sentence should've made them all feel calm and grateful... but the truth that lied before them was too cruel. Even if Harry was safe, he was destroyed. He was covered in sweat and horrible wounds. Remus's spells weren't enough, and they all knew that he needed medical attention. His face was almost unrecognizable, covered in bruises and blood, swollen and twisted in agony even in his sleep. He was emaciated, stick-thin, and they had nothing to feed him with except for some food they had taken from Malfoy manor... He was with them, true, but he wasn't okay.

And his mind was in shambles.

Would their little group be enough to heal him?

* * *

 _Harry woke up on the floor. He looked around. There was only nothingness._

 _His body was incredibly sore, but not truly painful. Not as painful as it had been for the past few months._

 _He sat up, confused._

 _Was he dead? Finally? Had Voldemort finally killed him?_

 _"No, you're not dead." the terrible voice whispered behind him._

 _He flinched and got on his feet, turning around and walking backwards. Voldemort was in front of him, but he was far away._

 _"W-where am I?" Harry's voice shook. Fear was assaulting his entire body._

 _"I don't know, you tell me. Your little friends took you away." the older man growled._

 _Harry's fear grew, but he could also feel Voldemort's anger as if it were his own. Then he understood... Voldemort was using their wretched mind bond to communicate with him. But it had never been like this._

 _"I don't know anything. I don't remember." he said, his voice shaking._

 _"Oh, my dear Harry. Have you forgotten how easily I can read your memories?"_

 _Harry swallowed, his fear spiking. Every single time he had tried to keep his mind protected from Voldemort's intrusion had meant horrible, excruciating torture meant to break him down into pieces. He knew that logically Voldemort couldn't hurt him. They were in different places... But logic hardly flew when fear was reigning. And fear had been reigning in his heart and mind for a very long time._

 _"I don't remember, I swear." he said, closing his eyes shut._

 _Suddenly, the last few things that his mind could conjure began playing between him and Voldemort like a movie screen. He had been in and out of consciousness, so only small snippets could be seen: Draco attacking Snape... Remus leaping at Bellatrix... Ron running through the forest carrying him... Draco telling everyone to grab onto him... and then nothing. Harry closed his eyes again, relieved that Voldemort hadn't caught him in a lie._

 _"I will find you, Harry. And I will tear you apart. Just wait."_

Harry woke up screaming, covered in sweat.


End file.
